snohetta — miraz reza

The Norwegian National Opera House: Snohetta’s Language of Architecture

September 09, 2024

A reflection to Architect Craig Dyker’s presentation of the Oslo Opera House, identifying the firm’s design principles.

Craig Dyker presents an eclectic design strategy for Snøhetta’s design of the Norwegian National Opera House at Oslo in the selected talk that reflects an intricate focus on the history of the site and people and a careful execution of their architectural expression.

As the city has been anticipating an opera house for over a century, the sense of connection and ownership plays a vital role in the design concept. Snøhetta’s vision of the prompt ‘monument’ is a bit different- a city-facing social monument that one can participate in and with. Although very few people go to an opera house, the notion that it’s there makes it a part of ‘the city of imagination.’ Moreover, ownership makes something so familiar that the owner’s eyes can look past it instead of at it, which was the idea for the publicly accessible plaza and making the building as low as it could be. The inclined roof, which creates a transformative journey through planes, is inspired by the Norwegian landscape- open and folded snow that is cold, dry, and hard, also making a pedestrian link between the touchable water shoreline and the untouchable sky. Even the pattern on the aluminum cladding on the stage tower was inspired by the traditional weaving pattern of Norwegian sweaters, which subconsciously resonates with the people. The enormous participation of the local people on the first day it was opened to the public before the inauguration speaks volumes of the design’s success.

This surprising approval could also reflect the firm’s ideology of the primitive use of material and respecting tradition and field experts. A straightforward palate of material is used- glass, wood, and stone, with minimum to no support of other materials. Although foreign, Italian marble was used, like it was used in the birthplace of opera. The architect also respected the 600 years of developed horseshoe shape for the Opera room by not reinventing it and keeping his touch by using laminated monolithic oak, just like the body of a musical instrument. For the random oak patterns in the lobby to achieve better acoustics, the architect took help from mentally challenged children who are best at randomness. Expert artists designed the toilet façade and the stage curtain, and an acoustic engineer drew the shapes of the opera room railing- which was executed precisely as drawn.

Another focus of this project is defining formal identity. The machinelike functional office space contrasts with the sculptural public space- it almost feels like two different architects with different philosophies came together to design the project yet blend the spaces harmoniously.
An inherent sense of connection, ascension through planes, establishing truth of materials, a humble appreciation of history and craft, and a unique expression of form- make the Norwegian Opera House one of Snøhetta’s masterpiece projects.