Reminiscent of an iceberg, the new glass building of Norwegian National Opera has cast its anchor near the Oslo harbour where it first opened its doors to the public in April 2008. In a way it was a challenge to the sophisticated opera-goers who had to traverse the oily docks and the whole 'industrial landscape' all spruced up in their evening finery. The building was designed by Snøhetta, a Norwegian architecture firm that won the commission in competition with 240 rivals. Snøhetta are also known as the interior designers of the new Library of Alexandria. The new Oslo opera house won Snøhetta the 2009 Mies van der Rohe Award for contemporary architecture. This is the affluent Norway's largest cultural project of the last couple of centuries - building a new home for the National Opera which was formerly housed in a 1930-s cinema, thus opening the door to new possibilities and a new perspective. The façade of the new opera house is made of the white Italian Carrara marble and Norwegian granite; German oak was used to panel the auditorium; the chandelier that illuminates the auditorium, comprising 8500 diodes, is the largest in Norway. The world-famous Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson contributed to the design of the opera foyer.
ENG LAT