BIG | Bjarke Ingels Group has won the international competition to design the new Hamburg State Opera, introducing a bold architectural vision on the Baakenhöft peninsula in HafenCity.
Replacing the 1950s opera house on Dammtorstraße, the project reunites the Hamburg State Opera and the Hamburg Ballet within a contemporary, state-of-the-art home — one that reconnects the arts with the life of the harbor.
Situated between the vertical silhouettes of the Elbturm and the Elbphilharmonie, the new opera becomes a third cultural anchor along Hamburg’s waterfront, transforming the peninsula into a civic landscape shaped by movement, performance, and public life.
A Terraced Landscape Shaped by Sound
The design is conceived as a landscape of concentric terraces, radiating outward from the central performance hall like expanding soundwaves across the water.
Rather than a singular façade, the opera becomes a walkable topography, accessible from all sides and seamlessly merging with the surrounding park.
Seen from above, the roof draws a circular gesture that opens toward the harbor, rising into sculpted terraces and planted gardens.
Stone pavements from the public park flow directly into the foyer, creating a continuity of ground plane that erases boundaries between indoors and outdoors. Visitors may arrive from the waterside, the adjacent green spaces, or the new “opera street” at Baakenhafenbrücke.
BIG redefines the opera house as a public terrain with no backstage, where architecture and landscape weave together as one.
“The opera will appear like a landscape of concentric terraces – emanating like soundwaves from a central beating heart of music, expanding outward into the harbor like ripples on the surface of the sea.” — Bjarke Ingels.
A Hall Sculpted for Immersion
At the center sits the main auditorium, wrapped in horizontal timber rings that carve an intimate yet monumental interior.
The hall’s sculpted balconies appear as a single flowing surface, optimizing acoustics while creating a shared visual field between performers and audience.
Adjacent to the main stage, rehearsal rooms, production areas, and a flexible studio stage support the full creative lifecycle — from early experimentation to final performance — all arranged for direct and efficient connections.
“Immersive concentric wooden rings shape the hall and its balconies, dissolve the boundaries between spectators and artists, between reality and fiction.” — Jakob Sand, Partner at BIG.
An Opera House Without Secrets
One of BIG’s most transformative ideas is complete visibility and openness.
Circulation paths wrap the building, allowing glimpses into rehearsal studios, administrative spaces, and production environments.
The architecture invites the public to witness the making of opera — choreography, craft, and rehearsal become part of the building’s everyday life.
Indoor levels open directly onto the outdoor terraces, allowing visitors to wander from foyer to rooftop garden in a single continuous movement.
“The new state opera is an invitation to the public to experience their city, the harbor and the opera from a new perspective. […] the building is open toward its surroundings on all fronts.” — David Zahle, Partner at BIG.
A Waterfront Park That Breathes with the Tide
Designed in collaboration with BIG Landscape, the surrounding terrain is shaped as a resilient coastal ecosystem.
Terraces, planted dunes, and wetland zones absorb storm surges, manage rainfall, and support amphibians, insects, and aquatic vegetation.
This living landscape strengthens Hamburg’s connection to water while future-proofing the site against rising tides and climate challenges.
The result is a park that is both performative and poetic — a natural partner to the terraced architecture it surrounds.
A Cultural Topography for the Future
With its flowing terraces, sculpted interior, and resilient waterfront park, the new Hamburg State Opera embodies an architecture of openness, continuity, and public engagement.
BIG’s winning design transforms the opera house into a civic terrain — a place to gather, wander, rehearse, perform, and meet the rhythms of the city.
A landmark shaped by sound and stone, growing outward like music itself.
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Renderings by Yanis Amasri, courtesy of BIG
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