UPFRONT
Auditoria IZZY KINGTON
loves...
Henning Larsen’s design for the expansion
of Paris’s famed opera house, Opéra Bastille
C ompleting the vision of Opéra
Bastille’s original Uruguayan
architect, Carlos Ott, was a key aim
for Henning Larsen in designing the
facility’s expansion. e opera house
was founded in 1989 as part of France’s Grands
Projets initiative, as a landmark in Paris’s 12th
arrondissement. It is the biggest opera house
in the French capital and serves as the main
home of the Paris National Opera.
Danish rm Henning Larsen hopes to open
the facility up its surroundings by creating a
new two-level public foyer, which was designed
as an ‘indoor street’. e extension is intended
to create a smooth transition between the area’s
urban and green spaces – the busy Place de la
Bastille and the Viaduc des Arts’ gardens –
as Ott originally planned.
Inside, a new 800-seat modular space is to
be constructed for rehearsals and performances.
Meanwhile, set and costume crews will bene t
from the expansion of workshop and construction
facilities. As well as democratic design, Henning
Larsen’s competition-winning plan also
emphasises sustainable materials.
Parisian Franck Fdida led the design and
fellow Frenchman Stefan Delvoye heads the
project team for Henning Larsen. Partners
include architects Reichen & Robert, Ducks
Scenographic for lighting, Peutz for acoustics,
and CET Engineering. ey are targeting a
completion date in 2023.
“Our goal is to ful l the original vision and
potential for the Opéra Bastille in a way that
honours and accents the existing architecture,”
says Søren Øllgaard, partner and design
director at Henning Larsen. “We want to
open the opera up to its surroundings in
this busy area of Paris, and to make it a
local hotspot of urban social life. For us,
this is an opportunity to bring new life
to a city landmark in a way that blends
our own architectural identity with
Carlos Ott’s legacy.” ■
6 AUDITORIA 2020 VOLUME ONE