Architecture from the north
One of the most prestigious awards for architecture – Mies van der Rohe Prize, in 2009 was given to Norwegian architecture studio Snohetta.
The award-winner was a project for the National Opera House in Oslo, the largest modern cultural complex in Norway, which quickly became a tourist attraction in the Norwegian capital.
The concept of grandeur was also among the terms of the competition for designing the complex. Snohetta answered to that with the idea of unity and communicativeness. The impressive roof, sloping down to the water, is carried out as a public open space with an easy access its curves spread out in platforms suitable for walks and the marble cladding evokes associations with a giant glacier.
The cold exterior with its sharp architectural forms and raw materials as stone, glass and metal contrasts with the interior of the building. Inside dark brown oak and fine curves prevail – into walls, floors and ceilings, staircases, facades of the balconies and acoustic reflectors.
Located in the boundary strip of land and water, the opera house is a symbol – first, of the historical relation of Norway to the rest of the world and then of art to its audience.
