We are proud to announce that SHL in collaboration with Pax Architects have received an Honorable Mention for our design proposal for the competition for the Polish Royal Opera - Second stage.
39 teams were pre-qualified for the international competition and just six finalists went on to the second stage of the competition.
Though we did not win we are proud of our proposal, which has contributed to the discussion of how an opera can fit into a beautiful park surrounded by old classical buildings.
The project is situated in the Łazienki Park characterised by its greenery and the two major canals Kanał Piaseczyński and Stawy Łazienkowskie. Our proposal is designed with references to classical architecture seen throughout the immediate surroundings.
An airy pavilion-like structure lightly sits in the green park - its soft shape allows park and building to mediate. The foyer space is organised as a fluid space all around the façade, which creates a welcoming building connecting with the park. The curved shape of the building embraces the park and creates green pockets along the façade, thus visitors of the opera, as well as the public, can enjoy and use the venue – a democratic gesture in the park.
At night, the building appears as a lantern in the park, creating a safe and vibrant public, social and collective space around the opera building.
Landscape architect: DETBLAA
Acoustic consultant: Nagata Acoustics
Space planners: Ducks Scéno
Engineers: Arup
Visuals: KVANT-1
