Copenhagen, Denmark
2000 - 2004
The Royal Danish Opera
Denmark’s national opera is a landmark in the city of Copenhagen, and a symbol of the city’s rich cultural life. With a carefully designed foyer and intimate concert hall, the Royal Danish Opera sets the stage for human interaction, both before and after the final curtain.
Completed in 2004, the Royal Danish Opera was commissioned in an aim to create a new performance venue for Copenhagen – featuring design and acoustics of international repute. The Opera is located across the harbor from Amalienborg palace and the historic center of the city and serves as one of the city’s foremost cultural landmarks, as well as one of Denmark’s largest and most innovative structures.
The 41,000 m²/441,000 ft² opera houses both a large 1,700 seat auditorium and a black box stage for experimental theater with 200 seats. The wooden shell that encases the auditorium is visible from the harbor through the glass façade and is inspired by the form of a conch shell.
The Opera is divided into the front of house, consisting of the foyer and the auditorium, and the backstage area, which holds the stage area including workshop facilities, dressing rooms, costume shops, administration offices and rehearsal facilities for singers, choir, soloists, orchestra, and ballet.
"Acoustics is an essential part of being comfortable within a space. Creating the right atmosphere applies to all successful architecture projects, which is why acoustics is key. Unfortunately, it is often neglected if it's not prioritized in the early design phases."
Peer Teglgaard Jeppesen
Design Director Scandinavia, Partner
Connecting art and audience
The arrival plaza functions as the pedestrian center of the harbor throughout the day, with guests visiting the Opera’s café as well as participating in events taking place in the foyer and auditorium. In the evening, the plaza changes as cars start to arrive to drop off opera guests.
Before and after the night’s performance, the Opera’s foyer serves as a stage of its own. On the suspended balconies and stairways, audiences take position to see and be seen. Their silhouettes form a shadow play on the maple-covered shell of the concert hall and bring the building to life, removing any doubt that the performance has begun.
The interaction between stage and audience is emphasized by the intimate design of the concert hall, where parquet and balconies stand out as one consistent whole, reaching all the way to the front of the stage.
01/05
Copenhagen's cultural centerpiece
A floating centerpiece of Copenhagen’s inner harbor, the Opera House played a fundamental role in the transformation of the former industrial port into the vibrant recreational area of today. Situated directly across from Amalienborg Palace and the Marble Church, the Royal Opera responds with a contemporary yet grand design.
One of the Royal Opera’s most distinctive features is its cantilevered roof. The ribbed structure adds character to the expansive surface, making the Opera easily recognizable even from the air. At the front, an overhang reaches beyond the building out over the water, creating a covered arrival plaza with a 180° panoramic view that offers guests an experience of the Opera House, the harbor, and the city.
Materials and colors were chosen in line with the building’s surroundings and simple Nordic tradition, with most of them being light in color. The main building is covered with natural stone, a smooth surface broken by bands of windows and narrow light slots. In contrast, the open foyer’s glass façade allows visitors to look inside from the harbor – with the inner wooden shell that encases the auditorium becoming more visible as the sun sets.
The Opera’s design has been recognized with several awards including the Outstanding Structure Award from the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering in 2008.
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Design Director Scandinavia, Partner
Country Market Director, Partner
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