This project is based on the competition for a new opera house for the city of Oslo. The programme occupies 35,000 square metres.

The opera house is sited on the waterfront of Bjørvika, a central portion of Oslo's harbour where new urban developments are to ensue. Its envelope is defined by the minimal enclosure of the stage and the two auditoriums, with the oblique west side attaching to the coastline.

More than 75 per cent of the programme consists of servant functions. There is a paradox in seeking to design a public building when less than 25 per cent of it is publicly accessible. To resolve this dilemma, we have transformed the traditional section through the stage. A public plane has been tucked in-between the two stage levels which are linked by a stage lift of 16 by 16 metres. The understage space is set at minus nine metres so that the public plane can attach to ground level.

The public plane consists of two floors rising in opposite directions. One ascends to the experimental auditorium, the other leads to the foyer of the 'classical' auditorium.

The public plane's position between two private zones enables maximum interaction between public and private spheres. From the opera house shop you can see out onto the paint store below. The central core containing the stage lift can be opened up on one side for special performances, when use can be made of the material in the fly tower. An expo wall, which also includes the public toilets, serves as a shortcut between the artistes' entrance and the main stage level. The landscape screen-printed on the expo wall creates an artificial view which mingles with the vague shapes of the artistes beyond.

Place of education: TU Delft
Specialization: architectuur
Tutors: Deborah Hauptmann, Tony Fretton & Richard Eelman