Danish architect Bjarke Ingels Group has won a competition to design an opera and ballet theatre in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo.
The 42,395 sq m timber structure will be located underneath an undulating exterior skin formed of photovoltaic solar tiles, designed to look like a bell-shaped skirt known as a “xhubleta”.
The project will contain four venues: a 1,200-capacity concert hall with seating that weaves and interlocks, a 1,000-capacity three-tiered theatre and two 300-seat auditoriums, one for recitals and the other for drama.
The venues all contain a matte timber aesthetic that contrasts with the velvet upholstery and curtains.
The €2.5m development will also house an education and conference centre, a public plaza and a “public room” containing the main lobby. An existing podium will be extended to merge with the theatre’s grand outdoor staircase.
Commissioned by Kosovo’s Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, the project will be the homes of the Kosovo Philharmonic, Ballet and Opera.
The theatre will be located close to the Palace of Youth & Sports, the Fadil Vokrri Stadium and the Public Services Ministry, creating a “cultural corridor”.
Andy Young, BIG’s London partner, said: “The design for the Opera & Ballet Theatre of Kosovo allows for the flexibility to accommodate the precise needs of the organisations who will occupy the spaces within, while providing a modern facility that can elicit joy and delight for future generations of visitors and performers alike.”
Bjarke Ingels, BIG’s founder, said: “Our design is like an efficient factory for the fabrication of artistic performances. The rational nucleus is wrapped in a continuous canopy, creating an engaging public space open in all directions.
“The undulating roof creates a flowing and inviting gesture evocative of the xhubleta.”
Construction is due to begin next year and be completed in 2028, according to a Facebook post by Albin Kurti, the prime minister of Kosovo.
- Subscribe here to get stories about construction around the world in your inbox three times a week
