Oslo Opera House

The Norwegian parliament settled a long argument in 1999 by deciding to build a new opera house at Bjørvika, on a container quay at the head of the fjord. Snøhetta won the competition against 349 other entries with a move that was less a building than a piece of ground: the roof angles down to the water so that anyone can walk up over the auditoria without a ticket, and the shape of the pavers on the forecourt and the roof was designed by the artists Kristian Blystad, Kalle Grude and Jorunn Sannes. Construction ran from 2003 to 2007, finished early and 300 million kroner under budget, and the house opened on 12 April 2008. The stage tower is clad in white aluminium panels designed by Løvaas and Wagle after old weaving patterns; the interiors are oak against all that white stone. It won the Mies van der Rohe Award in 2009.