Oslo Opera House. Photo: Didrick Stenersen, VisitOslo
Top-15 Must-see Nordic Architectural Sights By Linnea Dunne
1. Oslo Opera house Situated in the Bjørvika neighbourhood in the heart of the Norwegian capital, the Oslo Opera House is, with its 238,500 square metres, the largest cultural building constructed in Norway since Nidarosdomen was completed around 1300. The construction came about after, in 1999, it was decided that a new opera house was to be built in the city, for which a design competition with 350 entries was held. Celebrated architecture firm Snøhetta won, and the construction was finished in 2007, ahead of schedule and around 300 million NOK (around 27 million GBP) under budget. The award-winning Opera House features 1,100 rooms, an auditorium with 1,364 seats, and a distinct façade of marble and granite surfaces that appears to be rising out of the water. 40 | Issue 129 | October 2019
Oslo Opera House. Photo: Didrick Stenersen, VisitOslo