The Oslo Opera House ( Norwegian : Operahuset ) is the home of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet , and the national opera house in Norway . The building is situated in the Bjørvika neighbourhood of central Oslo , at the head of the Oslofjord . It is operated by Statsbygg , the government agency which manages property for the Norwegian government. The structure contains 1,100 rooms in a total area of 49,000 m (530,000 sq ft). The main auditorium seats 1,364 and two other performance spaces can seat 200 and 400. The main stage is 16 m (52 ft) wide and 40 m (130 ft) deep. The angled exterior surfaces of the building are covered with marble from Carrara , Italy and white granite and make it appear to rise from the water. It is the largest cultural building constructed in Norway since Nidarosdomen was completed circa 1300.
16-513: In 1999, after a long national debate, the Norwegian legislature decided to construct a new opera house in the city. A design competition was held and, of the 350 entries received, the judges chose that of the Norwegian architectural firm Snøhetta . 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
32-467: A better destination. A small monument for the Norwegian philosopher , humourist, author and mountaineer Peter Wessel Zapffe is located near the summit of Vesttoppen. Under good conditions in both summer and winter, the ascent is relatively easy. Common starting points are the DNT -cabins Reinheim, Snøheim, or Åmotdalshytta. Snøhetta was visited for the first time in 1798 as part of a scientific trip to
48-673: A crumpled piece of foil into a computer which translated the information to a loom that wove the curtain from wool, cotton and polyester to create a three-dimensional effect. The curtain was manufactured by the German-based theatrical equipment company Gerriets GmbH. The finished curtain measures 74 ft (23 m) wide and 36 ft (11 m) and weighs 1,100 lb (500 kg). 59°54′25″N 10°45′13″E / 59.90694°N 10.75361°E / 59.90694; 10.75361 Sn%C3%B8hetta (company) Snøhetta ( Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈsnø̀ːˌhɛtːɑ] )
64-685: Is a Norwegian architectural firm headquartered in Oslo , Norway . The company was formed in 1987 by Norwegian, Kjetil Thorsen, and a group of young architects. They named it Snøhetta after the tallest mountain in the Dovrefjell National Park . In 1989 they joined forces with New York architect, Craig Dykers, to enter the competition to design a replacement for the Library of Alexandria (the winning design for Bibliotheca Alexandrina wasn't completed until 2001). Snøhetta has received
80-488: Is easily accessible. Traversing Midttoppen, via Hettpiggen and to Vesttoppen requires climbing with a rope. On Stortoppen there is a radio link station, originally installed by the Norwegian Army , and now serving primarily civilian purposes. The station and its emergency diesel generator, as well as a nearby helipad , detract somewhat from the aesthetics of the summit. For this reason, many recommend Vesttoppen as
96-749: Is the highest mountain in Norway outside the Jotunheimen range, making it the 24th highest peak in Norway , based on a 30-metre (98 ft) topographic prominence cutoff. At 1,675 metres (5,495 ft), its topographic prominence is the third highest in Norway. The mountain is located in the Dovrefjell mountains in northern Innlandet county in Dovre Municipality . The mountain lies inside Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park and it
112-501: Is the highest peak in the park. It is surrounded by several other mountains including Brunkollen to the east; Einøvlingseggen to the south; Skredahøin Bruri , Nordre Svånåtinden , and Storstyggesvånåtinden to the southwest; and Store Langvasstinden , Larstinden , and Drugshøi to the west. The mountain has several peaks: Vesttoppen and Stortoppen are easily available by hiking or skiing, and traveling from Stortoppen, Midttoppen
128-1078: The World Architecture Award for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Oslo Opera House , and the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Since its completion in 2008, the Oslo Opera House has also been awarded the Mies van der Rohe Award , the EDRA (Environmental Design Research Association) Great Places Award, the European Prize for Urban Public Space , In 2010, through Kjetil Trædal Thorsen ’s lead, Snøhetta’s works’ coherence with their environment
144-510: The area. At that time it was assumed that was the highest summit in Norway, because the Jotunheimen area with its higher peaks was rather inaccessible and unresearched, while Snøhetta is visible from the traditional travel route Oslo-Trondheim across the Dovrefjell mountains. The expression "until the Dovre mountains fall" ( Norwegian : "til Dovre faller" ) was used in the oath sworn during
160-487: 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. The lobby is surrounded by 15 m (49 ft) tall windows with minimal framing and special glass that allows maximum views of
176-416: The forecourt and roof; Bodil Furu and Trine Lise Nedreaas, who created a film and video project; Marte Aas, Talleiv Taro Manum, Tom Sandberg, Gerd Tinglum and Nina Witoszek Fitzpatrick, who created the art book Site Seeing ; and Linus Elmes and Ludvig Löfgren, who created the foundation stone. The main stage curtain is the work of Pae White who designed it to look like crumpled aluminum foil. White scanned
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#1732775886140192-493: The original language. Several art projects were commissioned for the interior and exterior of the Opera House. The most notable is She Lies , a sculpture constructed of stainless steel and glass panels by Monica Bonvicini . It is permanently installed on a concrete platform in the fjord adjacent to Opera House and floats on the water moving in response to tides and wind to create an ever-changing face to viewers. The work
208-473: The water. The roof is supported by thin angled columns also designed not to interfere with views. Interior surfaces are covered in oak to bring warmth to spaces in contrast to the coolness of the white exterior. The main auditorium is a horseshoe shape and illuminated by an oval chandelier containing 5,800 handmade crystals. Seats include monitors for the electronic libretto system, allowing audiences to follow opera libretti in Norwegian and English in addition to
224-657: Was attended by His Majesty King Harald , Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and President Tarja Halonen of Finland and other leaders. During the first year of operation, 1.3 million people passed through the building's doors. The Opera House won the culture award at the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona in October 2008 and the 2009 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture . The roof of
240-482: Was awarded the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture , both from an international point of view, for their large scale projects, and at a local, small projects scale. This corporation or company article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Sn%C3%B8hetta Snøhetta is the highest mountain in the Dovrefjell mountain range in Norway . At 2,286 metres (7,500 ft), it
256-410: Was unveiled by Her Majesty Queen Sonja on 11 May 2010. A perforated wall panel which covers roof supports in the lobby was designed by Olafur Eliasson. It features hexagonal opening and is illuminated from below and behind to create the illusion of melting ice. Other artists involved in the construction include Kristian Blystad , Jorunn Sannes and Kalle Grude, who designed the shape of the pavers on
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