Shanghai Grand Opera House in its final phase of construction

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The Snøhetta -designed Shanghai Grand Opera House is now its last stage of construction and is poised to become one of China’s major cultural landmarks. Located in the Houtan area, along the Huangpu River, it will not only expand the city's performing-arts offerings but also aspires to be a vibrant civic space. Developed in collaboration with ECADI, Theatre Projects, and Nagata Acoustics, the project draws on the Norwegian firm’s long experience in iconic works. In the Bibliotheca Alexandrina it explored the continuity between roof and facade, and in the Oslo Opera House it made the roof a walkable public plaza. Both ideas converge and evolve in Shanghai. Here the helicoidal roof takes the shape of an open fan, evoking a dance movement while forming an enormous spiral staircase that expands the public space from the riverside to the topmost part of the building. This accessible slope makes the opera house a viewing point and meeting place for people. It also serves as an open-air performance space, reinforcing the open, versatile spirit of the complex.