Olso Operahuset - collage and architecture

The building is approached by way of a footbridge to the north of the
building. The bridge leads into an open plaza that leads one directly
to the main entrance located on the northern façade. The entrance is
tucked under a sloped section of the plaza that extends up to connect
with the rooftop. Occupants enter into a large lobby where the “wave
wall” is located.
Oslo
Opera
House
Bjørvika
Ground Floor Plan
The opera house is set as the focal point for someone approaching from
the mouth of the fjord. It stands alone at the water’s edge in front of an
urban backdrop, surrounded by many paths for transportation but quite
separated from other built context.
North Elevation
Roof Plan
South Elevation
The sloped, traversable rooflines of the
building (or the “carpet”) seem to mimic
the sloping ground line where the city
meets the water. The plaza itself even
dips down into the water, symbolizing
a give-and-take relationship between
the urban and natural conditions.
Public / Viewing
Rehearsal Space
Hard Workshops
Soft Workshops
Public
Semi-Private
Private
The opera house is divided into
sections based on program. In their
plans for the building, the designers
decided early on that they wanted
to use industrial material to
designate the work space, or
“factory”, from other spaces within
the building. It seems that the
designers also designated program
quadrants with the addition of
certain walkways. The north-south
corridor, which is referred to as
the “opera street”, separates the
public and performance spaces
from the offices, workshops, and changing rooms. The eastwest
oriented loading dock in the “factory” section of the building
separates the work spaces into hard workshops (for scenery) to the
north and soft workshops (costuming, makeup, etc.) to the south.
East-West Section
Sectionally, the building seems to alternate tall, open spaces
with stacked floors. It incorporates several multiple-levelheight
spaces that the more concentrated spaces open into,
so that no space ever feels completely contained.