The Plan
http://www.mic.no/nmi.nsf/pic/newnationaloperaoslo/$file/newnationaloperaoslo.jpg

Pictures of the construction site
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/811/001osloopera9en.jpg

http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/879/002osloopera9zf.jpg

http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/9761/003osloopera9zc.jpg

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/7171/004osloopera9fv.jpg

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/2559/005osloopera8jh.jpg

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/9662/006osloopera6xu.jpg

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/6051/007osloopera9oh.jpg

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/7572/008osloopera3sp.jpg

Webcams
http://operawebcam.snoball.no/image.jpg

http://operawebcam.snoball.no/image2.jpg

Nice to see its taking shape, though i am not to impressed by that building and thinking of the Opera House cost!

Nice to see its taking shape, though i am not to impressed by that building and thinking of the Opera House cost! I agree. The Opera is also certainly less impressive than Oslo Havnelager, which is located next to it:
http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/3079/1oslohavnelager6ui.jpg

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/5663/2oslohavnelager0ng.jpg

is it going to be bigger than the opera house in Copenhagen?

can't say i like this building... i think oslo deserves something better

I agree. The Opera is also certainly less impressive than Oslo Havnelager, which is located next to it:

Yes, I agree. And I think it's pretty pathetic and telling of how much power the nimby movement's got in Norway when the new, widely trumpeted, officially sanctioned "monument" can't even outshine an old warehouse. Don't get me wrong; the building is nice on itself, it just isn't the statement it was intended to be.... :(

It looks OK, could have been better though... off topic, but what kind of building is the Oslo Havnelager? It seems very big!

It looks OK, could have been better though... off topic, but what kind of building is the Oslo Havnelager? It seems very big! Oslo Havnelager is basically an old warehouse. It was used to store goods that came by ship, and it is no coincidence that the Oslo customs office is located in an old majestic building right next to it. Oslo Havnelager became obsolete when people started using big standardized containers, and got converted into an office building in the '80s.

Nice to see it going up, but I agree with the others, it won't the monumental landmark it was intended to be. Infact I was quite disapointed when I saw the winning proposal for the first time. Maybe it was selected just because Snøhetta had drawn it?

Hey, anyone with link or renders to the other finalists? I can`t remember how they looked, and i havent found them on the net..

Here is a more recent pic, from december last year.

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o190/jmoxon/opera2.jpg

Hey, anyone with link or renders to the other finalists? I can`t remember how they looked, and i havent found them on the net..

Hmmm... Harder to find than I expected. A bit wierd, we can't be the only one wondering what the alternatives were... The only one I found, was the "Bread" that MAD architects designed:

http://alpha.apcom.no/mad/img/projects/opr1.jpg

http://www.mad.no/wwwimg/opr4.jpg

Who would want a sliced bread as an opera-house?

:) Thanks IceCheese! I remember the "bread", and I must say I`m glad it didn`t win. But I like the nightrender, it gives an idea of how it will be when it`s all completed. :)

I agree about the finalists being so hard to find, it`s wierd. I know I like to see this in retrospective. Maybe Kulturdepartementet have erased all traces to stop any attempts on debate ?:lol:

But I think there were some good danish finalist, I have a vague memory that they were better than Snøhetta...

I have started to like how the Oslo Opera looks like. First I thought it was boring and nothing special but it is starting to look good in a minimalistic and stylish way. We'll see when it is finished...

Hmmm... Harder to find than I expected. A bit wierd, we can't be the only one wondering what the alternatives were... The only one I found, was the "Bread" that MAD architects designed:



I really liked Gert Wingårdhs proposal for the Oslo opera house, it looked like a torch and it was beautiful. Havn´t fond a picture though.
The one being built is not a favorite of mine.

Here are some photos from inside the opera

http://gfx.dagbladet.no/pub/artikkel/5/53/530/530860/opera1_1206711581.jpg


http://gfx.dagbladet.no/pub/artikkel/5/53/530/530860/opera2_1206711581.jpg


http://gfx.dagbladet.no/pub/artikkel/5/53/530/530860/opera22_1206711552.jpg


main stage
http://gfx.dagbladet.no/pub/artikkel/5/53/530/530860/opera3_1206711581.jpg


http://gfx.dagbladet.no/pub/artikkel/5/53/530/530860/opera33XcopyX5_1206713179_1206713195.jpg


stage 2
http://gfx.dagbladet.no/pub/artikkel/5/53/530/530860/opera4_1206711581.jpg


The grand opening will be 12. April.

http://gfx.dagbladet.no/pub/artikkel/5/53/530/530860/opera22_1206711552.jpg
main stage
http://gfx.dagbladet.no/pub/artikkel/5/53/530/530860/opera3_1206711581.jpg
The grand opening will be 12. April.

Too much wood, really.

Well, I`m a fan of the opera house. I think all the tree is a cool contrast to all the white marble and all the glass on the outside.. Its an interesting building I think!

Well, I`m a fan of the opera house. I think all the tree is a cool contrast to all the white marble and all the glass on the outside.. Its an interesting building I think!

Yes, I see the whole thing about the outside white marble contra the indside dark wood, however, I just don't like the inside part. Looks a bit old school and too retro. Doesn't look like opera to me. I guess it has a very Norwegian vibe and feel indeed (and in that respect it's good). However, the outside part is really good. Look forward to a visit.

The inside looks great, so does the outside, exept the shape which looks dull and boring! Use of wood is great, though i would rather dress it in a more traditional Norwegian wood, especially at main stage.

http://gfx.dagbladet.no/pub/artikkel/5/53/530/530860/opera1_1206711581.jpg

How about a repainting?

http://z.about.com/d/nintendo/1/7/A/E/1.jpg

The interior looks good to me, and kind of unreal. But yeah, there might be a slight overdose in wood being used.

The main stage look like its straight outta the 1960's or 70's ick! But the rest of the building looks good. I like the contrast between the white marble and the wood.

^^
http://gfx.dagbladet.no/pub/artikkel/5/53/530/530860/opera22_1206711552.jpg


Yeah, and some half-naked lady off a 70's James Bond movie is standing just around the corner...

^^ Can agree with that actually! Thats why i would want to use some different type of wood! ;)

Lobby looks amazing! And it was definatly the best looking proposal in the contest;) Roof and outside is great to, love the whole walking on the roof idea=) We need more of those, a 100m tall one, please?;)
Doesn't look that spectacular from behind, huge miss because this area will be nice in some years! Stage area is not my taste either...
Sadly: However this is beautiful building that all Oslo visitors will want to visit, but it's not a building who makes people come specially to Oslo, like the Calatrava City of Arts and science buildings in Valencia or Milwaukee art museum, for example does!
But this is a really good building for Oslo, can't wait for the rest of the area to develop too =)

In case you haven't realized the Oslo Opera House is featured on dezeen:

http://www.dezeen.com/2008/04/04/opera-house-oslo-by-snøhetta/

The opera was opened yesterday, in a big show with about all celebreties in Norway there is, including the royals from both Norway, Sweden and other nations! The show was also broadcased live in national Norwegian TV.

http://gfx.dagbladet.no/pub/artikkel/5/53/532/532357/fyrverkeri3_1208044785.jpg

http://gfx.dagbladet.no/pub/artikkel/5/53/532/532357/fyrverkeri8_1208044785.jpg

http://gfx.dagbladet.no/pub/artikkel/5/53/532/532357/fyrverkeri6_1208044785.jpg

I was there, and it was totally chaos. Thousands of people, and police everywhere. I had to go to Ekeberg to find a spot from where I could watch the fireworks, but even there it was crazy and thousands of people..

Thousands of people took the way to the Opera today, the day after its grand opening.

http://web3.aftenbladet.no/multimedia/archive/00218/sx5bdbc6_jpg_218991i.jpg

I saw the fireworks from a roof-terrace 1-2 km from the opera. Fantastic! By coincidence, the firework reflected in Oslo Plaza to where I was standing, making Oslo Plaza into a giant 117 meter tall disco-ball!

I was also at the Opera yesterday, together with 30.000 according to Aftenposten. Managed to walk on the roof, inbetween the heavy rain-storms. Quite spectacular I must say.

This could be a fine office building, but as an opera house it sucks. I dont see any sense of aesthetics were applied to this building.

Article in World Architecture News, today!

From Movie-House to Marble Majesty
Oslo Opera House move sees inauguration by the King

The $800million Oslo Opera House designed by Norwegian architects Snoehetta opened on Saturday with King Harrald in attendance. Oslo’s Opera had been operating from a run-down movie theatre before the building was constructed.

The new structure is sympathetically designed to fit its fjord setting with the sloping side resembling an iceberg. The 1000 room venue is the biggest of Norway’s cultural buildings and is clad in 35,000 Carrara-marble slabs. A centre-piece chandelier made with 17,000 glass units hangs in the main opera hall where the King enjoyed performances of Mozart, Verdi and Edvard Grieg.

The building is a centre-piece in itself to a development on the bank of the Bjoervika district which aims to bring new offices, museums and homes to the area. But the development is not without controversy. Norway’s culture minister, Trond Giske, is said to believe the building could prove too noisy if houses are built too close and former Progress Chairman, Carl I. Hagan, believes the investment could have been spent better on healthcare.

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/2157_4_OH5.jpg

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/2157_5_OH6.jpg

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/2157_6_OH7.jpg

Really nice bathrooms there!

Danish architectural reviewer Karsten Ifversen, whom I respect deeply, gives the Oslo Opera the highest rating possible (six "hearts") in Danish daily "Politiken" today.

(And makes some discreete and rather negative couplings to the saga of the Copenhagen Opera).

Sorry, the article is not online. If it becomes available I'll post a link here.

BTW: I believe that the most interesting and unique feature of the whole opera project is in fact the STAGE CURTAIN. It's just fantastic.

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/2659/dsc0609612gw3.jpg

Wow, you're right, quite awesome stage curtain that is!

Can't help but wonder whether it is straightened out when it is raised, or if it just goes up exactly like it looks in the picture.





(Relax, I know the answer. The most likely one, anyway...)

It's an optical illusion, the curtain is actually not crumpled, it just looks that way :)

lol :)

Hehe you can call that a mistake.

stunfabulous.

Inside - 8 out of 10. I really like that wood and specific, festive feel of the interior. It says - "please, let's concentrate on higher substances emanating from stage".
Outside - 5 out of 10. Somehow it looks uninspiring, trying to slide somewhere underground. Even if uninspiring, it is rather selfish and does not play with surroundings, except water (what is an easy substance for any kind of architecture plays). It's shape also does not let to guess that it hosts elitist musical arts inside - somehow it looks rather like an modern art exhibition place. That's because it does not strive towards the sky (like music does IMHO) but rather to the earth (what is more characteristic to painted art). But it's good opportunity to change stereotypes.
But in general the building certainly does not degrade city.

Congratulations on getting a proper Opera house!!! This should add a lot to cultural vibe in the city!

Opera construction in 3 minutes

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The fireworks from the opening

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