Second prize Kristiansund Opera House
3 November 2010
With only two teams still standing in the last round of the competition for the new Opera House in Kristiansund, the team of Brisac Gonzalez and Space Group was finally awarded the second prize. We share in the disappointment with the architects, but we're excited of having been given the opportunity to contribute to a design that combines Northerly pragmatism and imagination with a contemporary view on theater buildings.
In addition to the opera theater, the project includes a conference space, a school, a library and a youth center. The masterplan for the site described how two existing structures were to be kept, and be absorbed in a large building that would comprise almost the entire site. The design proposed by Brisac Gonzalez and Space Group organized the program in a cluster of three separate buildings, with undergound connections that made handily use of the sloped site. The three buildings would each have their own architectural identity, and be allocated to one or two of the very specific functions in a recognizable way. One building would house the school and library, one building the youth center, and the central building the conference space, the opera theater and all other performing arts related support spaces. The partially subterrainial connections between the buildings received large openings to retain daylight and to become visible from the street level.
In the proposed design, the theater, rehearsal rooms and congress facilities are situated in the central building, which, due to its height, would provide magnificent views over the city and the harbour. The theater, seating up to 700, has a simple yet intimate seating layout and a slightly assymetric balcony. To serve a program that ranges from drama theater to chamber and symphonic concerts, the seating configuration of the the lower parterre was made flexible, to assure that smaller ensembles would have good interaction with the audience and the (variable) acoustical character of the room.
The proposed design foresees the main rehearsal rooms for music and dance at the top levels in the building. Both rooms have ample access to daylight and have magnificent views on the city.
dUCKS scéno assisted the Design Team in the development of the room program, the design of the opera theater on both the house and stage side, and provided general consultancy on the scenography of project, including the circulation, the load-in solutions, the conference space, the rehearsal spaces and also on the youth center.
