Contest for the Comic Opera in Berlin

For decades, the clear shape of the 1960s building with its 19th-century interior theater hall on “Unter den Linden” Street was underrepresented. Our proposal combines the old building and the new extension with a clear architectural gesture. The new building forms an urban block with all the existing buildings (opera house, hotel, and a functional building) and closes it off to the east. The “Komische Oper Berlin” finally gains a suitable image with high architectural recognition value. The existing building will be uncovered, and the façade will be restored to its original clear and cubic state. Whenever possible, the 1960s design will be restored, and the neobaroque interior theater hall will be preserved in its original form. The existing building is presented alongside the extension as a clear block with free access to “Behrensstraße” and “Unter den Linden.” The new “Lindengalerie” lies between the opera house and the extension at the same level as the interior lobby. This large light gap allows for a new public access and passage, both in front of and behind the stage, thus helping this important cultural building block in Berlin gain new strength. While the otherwise minimalist existing building only reveals a hint of the neobaroque interior with the ornaments above its entrance, the façade of the extension reverses this principle. The façade is consistent with its special use in the urban space. It evokes the image of the curtains of an opera stage. The brilliant bronze color emphasizes the clear, monolithic shape of the existing building, which is clad in light sandstone.