Oslo Opera House

The Oslo Opera House (Norwegian: Operahuset) is the home of The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and the national opera theatre in Norway. It was designed by Snøhetta, an international architecture, landscape architecture, interior design and brand design office based in Oslo, Norway. Construction started in 2003 and was completed in 2007, ahead of schedule and 300 million NOK (~US$52 million) under its budget of 4.4 billion NOK (~US$760 million). The gala opening on 12 April 2008 was attended by His Majesty King Harald.

The roof of the building angles to ground level, creating a large plaza that invites pedestrians to walk up and enjoy the panoramic views of Oslo. While much of the building is covered in white granite and La Facciata, a white Italian carrara marble, the stage tower is clad in white aluminium, in a design by Løvaas & Wagle that evokes old weaving patterns.

It is sited in Oslo’s old Bjørvika harbour area and was the first building in a comprehensive urban development project for the area. When I was there, development was ongoing, and many of the roads were either blocked or only passable through a pedestrianised section alongside the harbour.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo_Opera_House