Design of Hamburg's new opera house finalised

"BIG has designed an opera house within a park to create an attractive design. We will rethink the Hamburg State Opera for the 21st century and create a spectacular place for everyone," said Carsten Brosda, Senator for Culture and Media. The winning design is a "successful symbiosis of good conditions for an opera house and an exciting landmark for all residents of Hamburg", the jury said.  The tiered, projecting roof, the cascading balconies and the overall elegant design were all praised. 

Designed as a series of terraced gardens, native plants will be planted on the roof and will be open to the public. The building offers spectacular vistas of the city, HafenCity and the port. "Starting from a pulsating musical heart, the opera will be like terraces that spread out into the harbour like waves on sea," said Bjarke Ingels, creative director of BIG. The aim is to create an accessible, three-dimensional park offering sweeping views in all directions.

Initiated by arts patron Klaus-Michael Kühne, talks between the senate, the Hamburg State Opera and the Kühne Foundation have been ongoing for several months. The new opera house will build on centuries of history and offer the State Opera, the Hamburg Ballet and the Philharmonic State Orchestra a new international home. At the same time, the Baakenhöft site is to be opened up and made accessible. "We are now entering the decisive planning stage, in which we must blend architecture, functionality and economic efficiency to make a positive decision in late 2027," said Jörg Dräger, Managing Director of the Kühne Foundation.

In February 2025, the City of Hamburg reached an agreement with the Kühne Foundation to build the new opera house, which will be supervised by the Hamburgische Staatsoper Projekt gGmbH. Following parliamentary approval, the City of Hamburg and the Hamburg State Opera will be involved. According to the contract, the city will pay any additional site-specific costs up to a maximum of €147.5 million. The foundation will cover any additional costs of the new "top-class opera house" which will be gifted to the City of Hamburg on completion, according to Klaus-Michael Kühne.
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