A grand arrival Plaza welcomes the audience arriving by boat or along the harbor promenade.
Danish shipping magnate Mærsk McKinney Møller personally handed over the new Opera House, his gift to the Danish state, on October 1, 2004.
The Opera House, used by the Royal Theater, will host large-scale opera and ballet productions.
Photo: arcspace
Photo: arcspace
The Opera House is situated on Dock Island in Copenhagen Harbor, on axis with
Amalienborg, the Royal Residence, as counterpart to
Frederik’s Church, forming the termination points of the east-west axis from the harbor and across Amalienborg Square.
New 17 meter wide canals have been dug on both sides of the building accentuating the placement of the Opera House on an island.
Photo: arcspace
Photo: arcspace
Photo:arcspace
The front of the house is visually integrated in the harbor space, whereas the back of the building, designed as a lower building block, relates to the buildings in the area and to the new apartment blocks planned on the north and south side of the building.
Photo: arcspace
Photo: arcspace
A grand arrival Plaza, covered by the 32 meter long cantilevered roof, welcomes the audience approaching by boat or from the wide harbor promenade. The building is clad in a golden limestone, the curved
4-story Foyer in glass, with horizontal steel bands.
Photo: arcspace
Photo: arcspace
From the arrival Plaza three revolving doors lead to the four-story high light filled Foyer paved with Sicilian marble. Balconies and walkways, with magnificent views of the harbor and the city, lead to the main auditorium; the heart of the building.
Photo: arcspace
Photo courtesy HLT
Photo courtesy HLT
The sculptural Auditorium, nicknamed “the Conch”, has the appearance of floating in the Foyer. The exterior walls, covered in a warm ahorn, stand in sharp contrast to the curved glass and steel facade of the Foyer.
Photo courtesy HLT
The main auditorium, with seating in the traditional horseshoe form, seats approximately 1,500. The balconies are are clad in light ahorn, the walls in dark ahorn, the floor are oak. The decorative bands of lighs on the balconies are designed for acoustical reasons and as a subdued allumination in the auditorium. The 419 square meter ceiling is covered in 24 carat gold leaf.
Photo: Berne Lundkvist
Photo: Berne Lundkvist
In the Danish Royal Orchestra's rehearsal room, located five floors below the auditorium, artificially lit skylights give the appearance of sunlight entering the space. The walls and ceiling are covered in wood.
Photo courtesy HLT
From the restaurant and terrace on the top floor there is a 180 degree view of the harbor and the city.
Photo courtesy HLT
Mærsk McKinney Møller commissioned three artists to decorate the building. Three light sculptures by Olafur Eliasson, 2,000 pieces of glass and 300 lamps, hang in the Foyer. The Opera logo and the stage curtain are designed by Per Arnoldi, and four bronze reliefs, mounted, on the Auditorium’s base, by Per Kirkeby.
The new Opera House will open to the public on January 26, 2005, with a performance of Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Aida".
View drawings and construction photos in earlier
arcspace feature.
Total area: 41,000 square meters
Under ground Area: 12,000 square meters
Construction start: November 2001
Completed: Completed: Fall 2004
The project benefits from the latest developments in acoustic design, including Arup's expertise in the use of both acoustic scale modelling and advanced computer simulation skills, coupled with extensive sound analysis of opera houses worldwide.
Client:
A.P. Møller and Chastine Mc.Kinney Møller Foundation
Architect:
Henning Larsens Tegnestue A/S
Architect's in charge: Henning Larsen & Peer Teglgaard Jeppesen
Project architect: Helle Basse
Engineers: Rambøll A/S
Theater Technology: Theater Planning & Technology Ltd.
Acoustics: Ove Arup & Partners International
Managing Contractor: E. Pihl & Søn A/S
Model photo courtesy HLT
Mærsk McKinney Møller selected Henning Larsen’s tegnestue, in cooperation with Copenhagen Harbour, the real-estate company Freja and the Ministry of Environment and Energy, as the architects for the Opera House. In the planning are apartment blocks to the north and south of the building.
The Danish Royal Orchestra's rehearsal room is located five floors below the auditorium, 14 meters below sea level. The Opera and the Ballet each have two rehearsal rooms, and other smaller rehearsal rooms are available for musicians and the chorus. The side wings of the building house dressing rooms, offices and workshops and, in the basement, scenery storage facilities.
Henning Larsen arcspace features
September 16, 2004
