Snøhetta’s Shanghai Grand Opera House Nears Completion

Photo by Honne Dang

After its winning proposal in the 2017 international competition, Snøhetta, East China Architectural Design & Research Institute (ECADI), Theatre Projects, and Nagata Acoustics were commissioned in 2019 as a consortium to deliver the Shanghai Grand Opera House, from initial concept to final completion. The Opera House is a bold cultural destination conceived to engage audiences across genres, from traditional opera and orchestral performances to contemporary and experimental works.

Positioned prominently along the convex bank of the Huangpu River, the Opera House is set to become an iconic anchor of Shanghai's emerging cultural masterplan, which aims to further elevate the city as a global hub of culture, commerce, and innovation. With the building's interior now taking its final shape, the Shanghai Grand Opera House is approaching completion and is anticipated to open to the public in the second half of 2026.

Photo by Tian Fangfang

A powerful dialogue between monumentality and movement now unfolds inside the Opera House. Soaring glazed façades flood the public halls with daylight, while sculptural, deep-red volumes wind through the interior, shaping the spatial rhythm. More than a space for performance, the interior becomes an experience – where architecture performs before the curtain even rises.

Photo by Runzi Zhu
Photo by Tian FangfangPhoto by Runzi Zhu

The building's form draws inspiration from the fluid motions of the human body in dance and theater. A singular, sweeping gesture encircles the site, echoing the ebb and flow of the Huangpu River and creating "one shelter," where the roof transforms into a public stage, an elevated observation platform, and a civic gathering ground.

Celebrating both the collective and the individual, the helical roof provides 24‑hour, year‑round community access, fostering a sense of shared ownership and civic pride. A spiraling stairway connects ground and sky, revealing unfolding views toward the city and riverbanks as visitors ascend.

Photo by Tian FangfangPhoto by Tian Fangfang

As a catalyst for urban regeneration, the project also highlights the district's ecological ambitions. The surrounding landscape adopts a radial layout that mirrors the opera house's architectural geometry, reinforcing a holistic, low‑carbon design vision.

From architecture and landscape to interior design, the Shanghai Grand Opera House has been developed through a close collaboration between Snøhetta and the East China Architectural Design & Research Institute, ensuring the project's strong local relevance and integration.

 

 

 

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Shanghai Grand Opera House

Location: ​ Shanghai

Year: 2017-2026

Status: Under Construction

Estimated opening date: 2nd half of 2026

Size: 146,786 m2

Client: Shanghai Grand Opera House

Collaborators: East China Architectural Design & Research Institute (ECADI), Theatre Projects, Nagata Acoustics

Scope: Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Interior Architecture

Typologies: Performance Space, Public Space, Destination

Photos: Tian Fangfang, Honne Dang, Runzi Zhu, StudioSZ Photo | Justin Szeremeta

 

 

Serein Liu

Communication Manager Asia, Snøhetta

 

 

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About Snøhetta

For almost 40 years, Snøhetta has designed some of the world’s most notable public and cultural projects. Snøhetta kick-started its career in 1989 with the competition-winning entry for the new library of Alexandria, Egypt. This was later followed by the commission for the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet in Oslo, and the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion at the World Trade Center in New York City, among many others. 

Since its inception, the practice has maintained its original transdisciplinary approach, and often integrates a combination of architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, product design and art across its projects. The collaborative nature between Snøhetta's different disciplines is an essential driving force of the practice.

Today, Snøhetta has a global presence, with studios in seven locations spanning from Oslo to Paris, Innsbruck, New York, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Melbourne.

Snøhetta is currently working on a wide range of international projects, including the Shanghai Grand Opera House, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Dakota, Harbourside redevelopment in Sydney and La Croisette in Cannes, to name a few. 

Recently completed works include Vertikal Nydalen in Oslo, Beijing City Library, the renovation of Musée national de la Marine in Paris, Orionis - the planetarium and observatory of Douai, Airside in Hong Kong, Esbjerg Maritime Center in Denmark, 550 Madison Garden and Revitalization in New York, as well as Volum lamps for Lodes.

Some of Snøhetta's previous projects include Ordrupgaard Art Museum expansion in Denmark, the Cornell University Executive Education Center and Hotel in New York City, Le Monde Group Headquarters in Paris, including the wayfinding and signage, Europe’s first underwater restaurant, Under, the redesign of the public space in Times Square, the expansion to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Lascaux IV: The International Centre for Cave Art, Powerhouse Brattørkaia and design for Norway’s new banknotes.

Snøhetta’s working method simultaneously explores traditional handicraft and cutting-edge digital technology. At the heart of all Snøhetta’s work lies a commitment to social and environmental sustainability, shaping the built environment and design in the service of humanism. Every project is designed with strong, meaningful concepts in mind – concepts that can translate the ethos of its users and their context.

Among many recognitions, Snøhetta has been awarded the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award for the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and the Aga Kahn Prize for Architecture for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. In 2016, Snøhetta was named Wall Street Journal Magazine's Architecture Innovator of the Year, and the practice has been named one of the world’s most innovative companies by Fast Company two years in a row. In 2020, Snøhetta was awarded the National Design Award for Architecture, bestowed by Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. In 2021 and 2022, Snøhetta’s Forite tiles won the Sustainable Design of the Year by Dezeen and Best Domestic Design by Wallpaper* in 2022, and the wayfinding system for Le Monde Group Headquarters was acknowledged with Monocle Design Awards. In 2023, Snøhetta won a number of awards for the Esbjerg Maritime Center and was named Architects of the Year at the Monocle Design Awards, in 2024 included a number of awards to Beijing Library and the BIA 2024 Award to Snøhetta and in 2025, Snøhetta was recognized with the OPAL Special Award for Sustainability, among others. 

Disclaimer: All materials provided by Snøhetta are intended exclusively for editorial use to communicate the specified project(s). The use of this material for commercial or third-party purposes is strictly prohibited. No material may be edited or altered from its original state in any manner. Credit must be given for all content used, acknowledging Snøhetta and/or the photographer or creator as the source. By using Snøhetta's press material, you agree to these terms and conditions.

 

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