Zurich Opera House plans major extension
Zurich Opera House needs 60 per cent more space for its staff. To achieve this, the existing extension building from 1984 is to be raised or replaced in the 30s. A bridging structure will be built on the roof of the extension building as early as summer 2024.
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.”