BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) has won the competition to design the New Hamburg State Opera in HafenCity, Hamburg. The project aims to create a cultural landmark that integrates public space, performance venues, and production areas, while prioritizing sustainability and climate resilience.
The design features a circular roof that lifts in planted terraces, opening towards the harbor and creating a public landscape that extends Hamburg’s waterfront terrain. The building’s form radiates outward like sound waves from the central performance spaces, inviting people to wander across its roof and through its public spaces.
The 45,000-square-meter complex will house opera and ballet operations, including a main hall, studio stage, rehearsal rooms, workshops, and offices. The design prioritizes intimacy and clarity, with layered timber balconies shaping acoustics and sightlines. The main hall acts as the heart of the opera, a measured interior that balances the openness of the building’s exterior.
The project incorporates climate-resilient features, such as terraced gardens, planted dunes, and rainwater basins, to manage stormwater and rising water levels. The roof functions as a habitat and public space, offering shade, filtering water, and creating a unique microclimate. The planting strategy draws on native species to boost biodiversity.
The building’s structural innovation is a key aspect of BIG’s vision, with a planted, walkable roof that works as both a public park and a structural shell, carrying soil, trees, visitors, and the long-span volumes of the auditorium below. Materials remain under review, but the project leans on a palette of timber, stone, planted roofs, and engineered cladding.
Planning work between BIG, the city, and the Kรผhne Foundation is expected to continue through 2027, with key decisions on auditorium capacity, facade materials, and construction sequencing to be made in the next phase. A public exhibition in HafenCity will introduce the design to the broader city and invite public feedback.
Image Courtesy: ยฉ Yanis Amasri | Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)
