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Tag: Opernhaus

  • Start of construction work on temporary bridging structure for Zurich Opera House

    Start of construction work on temporary bridging structure for Zurich Opera House

    The historic Zurich Opera House and the adjoining extension need to be renovated in the first half of the 2030s. The “Future Opera” project was launched in April 2023 to plan this comprehensive structural measure and ensure the future viability of the opera house. Due to the acute lack of space, the legal guidelines for occupational safety and workplace design are currently not being adhered to in many places.

    Dialogue process and establishment of a foundation
    A comprehensive dialog process with a wide range of stakeholders and the establishment of a foundation, which plays an important role in the financing, have paved the way for the project. Feasibility studies were carried out to determine the best approach.

    Design by the architectural firm EM2N
    The design for the bridging building comes from the architectural firm EM2N. The plan is for a single-storey, pavilion-like wooden structure on the roof of the extension building on the corner of Utoquai and Falkenstrasse. Preparations for construction will begin on July 4, 2024, and the actual timber construction will be erected in August 2024. The design emphasizes flexibility, functionality and reusability.

    Costs and schedule
    The total costs for the temporary bridging structure amount to CHF 4.57 million. The additional floor space of 330 square meters is intended to improve the spatial situation for employees in the near future until the long-term structural measures have been completed.

    Improving working conditions
    The temporary building will not solve the general space problem, but it will help to alleviate the acute situation and significantly improve working conditions until the comprehensive structural developments are completed.

    “Future Opera” project
    The “Future Opera” project aims to renovate Zurich Opera House and its extension in the long term while creating added value for the city and canton. These measures are intended to ensure that the opera house will continue to meet the high standards of safety, functionality and design in the future.

  • Zurich Opera House plans major extension

    Zurich Opera House plans major extension

    The Zurich Opera House needs more space for its approximately 800 employees. The solid reinforced concrete extension built in 1984 is no longer sufficient. According to a statement by Opernhaus Zürich AG, there is an additional space requirement of 60 per cent. It refers to a study by the German theatre planner Kunkel Consulting.

    The structural engineering office of the Canton of Zurich is examining whether the existing extension building can be raised. The study should be available in autumn. In any case, the new extension is to “attract international attention with its site-specific and visionary architecture as a model in terms of energy efficiency, sustainability and resource-saving construction methods”, according to the statement. An additional laboratory stage is also planned. Construction would take place in the first half of the 1930s at the earliest.

    The opera house itself is also to be renovated. The seating and technical systems are to be renewed and barrier-free access created.

    A temporary structure is to be erected on the roof of the extension building as early as summer 2024. The design comes from the Zurich architectural firm EM2N.

    “One aim of the structural development is to remedy the fundamental deficiencies of the property so that the opera house can continue to fulfil its mission,” Markus Notter, Chairman of the Board of Directors Opernhaus AG, is quoted as saying in the statement. “In order to be able to maintain and expand this standard, the listed opera house and the adjacent extension building … must be renovated – in terms of energy and operations.”