Snøhetta Wins Busan Opera House Competition

Norways leading firm, Snøhetta, has been favored over the worlds most renowned architects Zaha Hadid Architects and Norman Foster to develop the opera house in Busan in South Korea. Many other firms were also involved, such as, Architekturstudio Bulant & Wailzer from Austria, DMP from South Korea, Foster & Partners of the UK, Henning Larsen Architects, Denmark, LAN + Architettura & Ingenneria from South Korea, PWFERRETTO LTD from United Kingdom, SAMOO Architects & Engineering, Zaha Hadid Architects of Britain and Zarhy Architects.

Courtesy of Snøhetta

The goal of Busan Metropolitian City is to develop the city into a destination for marine tourism and plays an important role opera. The competition area is almost 30 000m2. Opera building, which will house a hall with 1,800 seats and conference hall, gallery, restaurant and café, is scheduled to be 48 000m2. The building will cost around 1.2 billion.

Courtesy of Snøhetta

The Busan Opera House will attempt a similar integration of public landmark and natural scenery – and the results could put the opera house, and Busan’s port, on the cultural map. So many walkable areas rising along the sides of the building and the ceiling will invite visitors to explore the space as a climbable figment of the scenery. Overall, the structure will evoke a resemblance to Snøhetta’s famed Oslo opera house, which mirrors the stark Norwegian landscape with a brilliant white marble slanted walkway that leads visitors onto its ceiling.

Ibrahim Abdelhady
Ibrahim Abdelhady

Ibrahim Abdelhady is an architect, academic, and media entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in architecture and digital publishing. He is the Founder and CEO of Arch2O.com, a leading platform in architectural media, renowned for showcasing innovative projects, student work, and critical discourse in design. Holding dual PhDs in Architecture, Dr. Abdelhady combines academic rigor with industry insight, shaping both future architects and architectural thought. He actively teaches, conducts research, and contributes to the global architecture community through his writing, lectures, and media ventures. His work bridges the gap between practice and academia, pushing the boundaries of how architecture is communicated in the digital age.

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