China Central Television Headquarters Building
The Oslo Opera House is the seat of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and is the national opera theatre in Norway. The building lies in Bjørvika, in the center of Oslo, at the head of the Oslo fjord. Its builder was Statsbygg, a government-run property owner. The architects were the Norwegian firm Snøhetta who were also the architects of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (the Library of Alexandria) in Egypt.
The theatre designers were Theatre Projects Consultants based in London, the acoustic designers were BrekkeStrand Arup, a joint venture between local consultant Brekke Strand Akustikk and international acousticians Arup Acoustics. Norwegian construction company Veidekke was awarded one of the largest building contracts of the project. The structure provides a total area of 38,500 m² and includes 1,100 rooms, one of which has 1,350 seats and another has up to 400 seats. Total expenditures for the building project were planned at 4.4 billion NOK(US$720 million), but finished ahead of schedule, and 300 million NOK(US$540 000) under budget.
Rising from a common platform accommodating production facilities, two towers – one dedicated to broadcasting, one to services, research, and education – lean towards each other and eventually merge in a dramatic, seemingly impossible cantilever. The building has no movement joints and is one of the world's largest single structural system; it is estimated that 20 percent less steel was used than in a single tower with the same gross floor area.
Oslo Opera House Wins International Award
Finished in 2007, the main stage is 16 meters wide, and can be expanded up to 40 meters deep.The Opera won the culture award at the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona in October 2008. In April 2009, the Opera House was pronounced the winner of the 2009 Mies van der Rohe award, the European Union prize for contemporary architecture.
Elements
The building comprises of three main elements: front, back and the "roofs cape", which describes the building's sloping roof which rises out of the fjord. A considerable part of the Opera house is located in or under the sea, and a special underwater ship barrier has been created to minimise the risk of collision in the busy shipping harbour.12,000m² of steel sheet piling has been used around the perimeter of the site to create a stable and dry working environment.
Roofs cape
The marble clad roofs cape forms a large public space in the landscape of the city and the fjord. The government wanted the Opera House to be a landmark for Norway as a cultural nation, highlighting the Norwegian Opera and Ballet, and also the foundation for the urban redevelopment of the area. The design won the international competition in 2000. The conceptual basis of the competition and the final building is a combination of three elements, the “Wave Wall, the “Factory” and the “Carpet.”
The Wave Wall
Opera and ballet are young art forms in Norway, art forms that evolve in an international setting. The Bjørvika Peninsula is part of a harbor city, historically the meeting point with the rest of the world. The dividing line between the ground “here” and the water “there” is both a real and a symbolic threshold. For the “Wave Wall,” which has a complex organic geometry made up of joined cone shapes, it has a light and varied surface. One enters the building under the lowest part of the roofscape where the ceiling meets the floor.
Further into the foyer the roof is supported by four free standing volumes. The perforated, illuminated cladding of these volumes, by artist Olafur Eliasson, is inspired by glaciers and ice crystals. A grand staircase, leading to three galleries around the auditorium, is peeled out of the wooden wall. The interior of the wooden wall has an intimate feel in contrast to the open, white foyer.
The Factory
The production facilities of the Opera House are realised as a self contained, rationally planned “Factory.” This “Factory” is both functional and flexible which was very important during the planning phase where a number of rooms and room groups were adjusted in collaboration with the end users. These changes have improved the buildings functionality without affecting the architecture.
The Carpet
The competition brief stated that the Opera House should be of high architectural quality and be monumental in its expression. To achieve monumentality the architects wanted to make the Opera accessible in the widest possible sense, by laying out a “Carpet” of horizontal and sloping surfaces on top of the building. This “Carpet” has been given an articulated form, related to the cityscape. Monumentality is achieved through horizontal extension and not verticality.
The materials, with their specific weight, colour, texture and temperature, have been vital to the design of the building. Snøhetta’s architecture is narrative, it is the materials that form the defining elements of the spaces - it is the meeting of the materials that articulates the architecture.
For the Opera House three main materials were specified at the competition entry. White stone for the “carpet,” timber for the “Wave Wall,” and metal for the “Factory.” As work continued glass was introduced, allowing the underside of the “carpet” to be visible.
For Snøhetta a close collaboration with artists has always been an important part of their projects. For the Opera House the artists were invited as collaborators at the competition stage to avoid having to apply “decoration” to the architecture.
The surface treatment of the stone, its pattern, cuts and lifts, which create a shadow play, have been designed in close collaboration with the artists. The Water Project is by artist Monica Bonvicini.
Because the Opera House is designed to have a long life span the selection of the metal cladding was very important. Aluminum was selected because of aesthetics, longevity, malleability and the possibility of making very flat panels.
The panels were punched with convex spherical segments and concave conical forms. The pattern developed by the artists was based on old weaving techniques. Eight different panels give a constantly changing effect depending on the angle, intensity and color of the light on them. Oak was chosen as the dominating material for both the “Wave Wall’ and the main auditorium.
Auditorium
Oak, treated with ammonia to give a dark tone, was used in the auditorium for floors, walls, and ceilings, as well as balcony fronts, and acoustic reflectors. The main auditorium is a classic horseshoe shape designed for opera and ballet. It seats approximately 1,370 divided between stalls, parterre, and three balconies. The orchestra pit is highly flexible and can be adjusted in height and area with the use of three separate lifts. The Snøhetta designed chandelier, suspended inside an oval reflector, is the main source of illumination in the auditorium. Made of 5,800 hand cast glass crystals, through which 800 LED lights shine, the chandelier gives off a cool diffused light.
The stage curtain was designed by American artist Pae White. Landscaping of the surrounding areas is a collaboration between Snøhetta and Bjørvika Infrastructure who have been responsible for the planning of the street around the Opera House. The Norwegian Opera and Ballet is the country’s largest music and theatrical institution, being the national producer of opera, ballet, music and dance theatre, and concerts. The Opera House is the workplace for approx. 600 employees from more than 50 professions.
The building is split in two by the “Opera Street,” running North-South. The “hard workshops,” where the scenery is made, are located to the North. The “Soft workshops,” with all the functions necessary to serve the needs of the dancers and singers, as well as administration and changing rooms, are located to the South. The public and stage areas are located to the West, the production areas, which are simpler in form and finish, are located to the East.
PROJECT TEAM
Client: Ministry of Church and Cultural Affairs
Building Client: Statsbygg (The Governmental Building Agency)
Architect: Snøhetta AS
Landscape Architect: Snøhetta AS
Competition phase:
Craig Dykers
Tarald Lundevall
Kjetil Trædal Thorsen
