AssetID: 54900960
Headline: RAW VIDEO: Shanghai's Spectacular Grand Opera House Nears Completion
Caption: These images and footage, unveiled by the architecture studio Snøhetta, show the Shanghai Grand Opera House nearing completion. The landmark structure, located in the city’s Expo Houtan district, features a distinctive sculptural spiral staircase that ascends to the top of its accessible rooftop. Resembling a vast unfolding fan, the building has been designed in collaboration with Chinese architecture firm ECADI to capture the fluidity of movement, drawing inspiration from dance. The design echoes Snøhetta’s acclaimed 2007 Oslo Opera House, with a roof that visitors will be able to walk upon when the venue opens later this year. Recent photographs reveal that the exterior is largely complete, showcasing a striking spiral staircase that appears to emerge from a sloping plaza near the banks of the Huangpu River. The staircase gradually winds upwards, blending seamlessly into the rooftop’s stepped geometry. From the ground level, the roof forms a secondary pathway, inviting the public to explore the structure from multiple vantage points. Internally, the design contrasts with the sleek white exterior through the use of rich materials, including red-stained oak, which line the stepped roof’s underside and other interior elements. The opera house is set to include three distinct performance spaces. The main hall will accommodate up to 2,000 guests, while a secondary auditorium will seat 1,200. A third, more flexible space—designed to support experimental productions—will offer seating for around 1,000. Snøhetta has previously integrated accessible roofs into other opera house projects, including a waterside venue in Busan, South Korea, where the sloping rooftop descends gracefully to meet the surrounding ground. As construction enters its final stages, the Shanghai Grand Opera House is poised to become one of the city's most significant cultural landmarks, merging ambitious architectural expression with public engagement and performance.
Keywords: feature,photo,video,shanghai,opera house,design
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