High-profile studio the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has produced one of its most attractive designs in a while in the form of a new opera house planned for Kosovo. The eye-catching building will be draped in a curving roof informed by a local traditional skirt, which will also feature integrated solar panels.
Commissioned by the Kosovo authorities for the country's capital Pristina, the Opera and Ballet Theatre of Kosovo is being created in collaboration with local studio ALB-Architect and will measure 42,395 sq m (456,403 sq ft).
The building will feature wraparound glazing and make good use of timber. As mentioned, the curving roofline references the Xhubleta, a bell-shaped traditional folk skirt in Kosovo. It will also incorporate photovoltaic tiles, which will help reduce the project's draw on the power grid.
"We are deeply honored to be entrusted with the design of the new home for the performing arts in a country that has gifted the world with an outsized cultural impact in the performing arts," says BIG founder Bjarke Ingels. "Our design for the Opera and Ballet Theatre of Kosovo is designed like an efficient factory for the fabrication of artistic performances. The rational nucleus is wrapped in a continuous canopy, creating an engaging public space open in all directions. The undulating roof creates a flowing and inviting gesture evocative of the Xhubleta, the traditional national dress of Kosovo."
The interior will include a 1,200-capacity concert hall, a 1,000-capacity theater hall, 300-seat recital hall, a theater room, and an education and conference center. A large lobby will be illuminated with natural light thanks to a central skylight, plus lots of greenery and pathways will be installed around the opera house.
The Opera and Ballet Theatre of Kosovo isn't BIG's first opera house and follows its unusual bow tie-shaped National Theatre of Albania. The always in-demand firm also recently revealed its new headquarters in Denmark.
We've no word yet on when the project is expected to be completed.
Source: BIG
