Oslo Opera House
One of the most famous roofs in the world awaits visitors to the Opera House in the Norwegian capital Oslo. The venue of the Norwegian Opera is a modern building made of concrete, marble, glass and wood. Opened in 2008, the opera house has a few surprises in store, both inside and out, and differs significantly from other opera houses.
A walk on the opera house
The construction of an opera house was discussed in Oslo for decades, various locations were examined and so much time passed before the ground-breaking ceremony was held on 17 February 2003. The total cost of the architectural masterpiece was 548 million euros, not including the interior. The building was designed by the Norwegian architectural firm Snøhetta. The architectural firm already produced the plans for the new Alexandria Library in Egypt, which is also distinguished by its striking architecture. With the Oslo Opera House, the architectural team created a building that enriched the city and set new standards.
An absolutely special feature of the opera house is its walkable roof. Thus, the building is designed in a way that everybody can climb the roof over slopes that serve as paths. The roof that is embellished with marble does not only invite to walk but there are also countless seats so that the visitors can linger here and enjoy a dream view to the city centre of Oslo. Depending on the position, the view of the city changes and the view extends to the hills and mountains that rise up behind the city.
But a walk along the Oslofjord is also ideal to see the opera house from a new perspective, as the building, which is located directly at the harbour, is perfectly adapted to its surroundings and inspires with its clear lines in combination with many well thought-out highlights that make the building an extraordinary piece of jewellery. The façade is made of 90 percent Italian Carrara marble. Depending on the time of day and the lighting conditions, the basic tone of the white marble seems to change, harmonizing perfectly with the large glass fronts of the opera house.
Interior design that takes your breath away
The interior of the opera house also surprises with its spectacular design. The architects worked specifically with artists here so that a unique design could be created. A particular highlight is the perforated wall cladding by the artist Olafur Eliasson.
The main hall also inspires with unusual details. Although the familiar horseshoe shape is reminiscent of a classical theatre, all other details differ from classical opera houses. Among other things, the main curtain designed by Pae White can be admired in the main hall. If you look up, you can admire the central chandelier. This consists of handmade glass rods, which are illuminated by LED. In the overall picture, the chandelier appears almost moonlike and underlines the special atmosphere of the main hall. Basically, the design of the halls was based on a wonderful wooden design, which no other opera house has. The targeted use of wood is also perfectly successful, because this gives the halls a very special flair.
But the Oslo Opera House is not only excellent in terms of appearance, but also the acoustics in the rooms is excellent, so that it is worth to visit one of the performances of the Norwegian opera.
