Oslo, Norway
Snøhetta
HAI® Nature, N1
Snøhetta is a mountain in Norway, and it is also one of the Nordics' most hyped architectural companies. The popular architectural firm is behind the impressive Opera House in Oslo, which was built in 2003-2008.
The opera house contains three halls for opera, ballet and concerts.
The building design provides a visual extension of the fjord with an inclined plane at different angles, so that it looks like the building almost emerges from the fjord. In this way, nature and the city center are tied together through the architecture.
The facade is covered with embossed aluminum sheets in asymmetrical patterns which are anodized in a HAI® Natural colour. Overall, the facade gets a architecturally beautiful design that changes in interaction with the outdoor light.
The opera house is also democratic in its expression, as it has opened the opera, which is otherwise a sphere reserved for the highly cultured, to a completely new audience. People from all over the city of Oslo gather to stay on the large roof with a view over the fjord.
The opera house was designated as a World Cultural Building during the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona in 2008.