Oslo Opera House in Oslo, Norway

The main theater at Oslo Opera House seats approximately 1,370 in a classic horseshoe shape. Here the oak has been darkened with ammonia, bringing richness and intimacy to the space. Overhead, an oval chandelier casts a cool, diffused light through through 5,800 hand-cast crystals.

The architects and engineers for the Oslo Opera House designed the theater to place the audience as close as possible to the stage and also to provide the best possible acoustics. As they planned the theater, the designers created 243 computer-animated models and tested sound quality inside each one.

The auditorium has a 1.9-second reverberation, which is exceptional for a theater of this type.

• Balconies at the side of the theater reflect sound down to the audience, while balconies at the rear send sounds in multiple directions.
• The oval ceiling reflector reflects sounds.
• Convex panels along the rear walls help spread sound evenly through the theater.
• Mobile towers with timber slats modulate sound according to their wavelengths.
• Dense oak material along the balcony fronts and the rear wall resist high frequency vibrations.

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A Sweeping Plan for Oslo >