Copenhagen Opera House, Architect, Photos, Danish Concert Hall Architecture
Copenhagen Opera House
Contemporary Danish Building design by Henning Larsen Tegnestue, Denmark
27 Mar 2022
New Copenhagen Photos
View from the south:
photo © Adrian Welch
Copenhagen Architecture Photos
page updated 2 Sep 2016
Opera House Copenhagen
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Design: Henning Larsen Arkitekt
Daes built: 2001-05
New photos added 23 Apr 2013:
photo © Adam Mørk
photo © Adam Mørk
The Copenhagen Opera House is situated in Copenhagen’s inner harbour and completes the historical axis running from the Marble Church through Amalienborg and into the Opera – right at the stage front where the performing artists and their audience meet.
photos © Adam Mørk
The Opera has two auditoria: the Large Auditorium – organized as a classical horseshoe shape with a 1,800 seating capacity – and Takkelloftet – the Royal Danish Theatre’s black box stage for experimental theatre seating 200.
photos © Adam Mørk
The wooden shell that embraces the Large Auditorium – visible all the way from the harbour space through the glass façade – lies like a smooth and golden conch in the foyer with its stairs and light footbridges dynamically connected to the balconies that run alongside the façade of the structure.
photos © Adam Mørk
From up here, the audience of the Opera is provided with views of the entire foyer as well as a 180° panoramic view spanning from the harbour fairway towards Knippelsbro and across the city centre turrets and spires to the view out of the harbour towards Øresund to the north.
photos © Adam Mørk
The Opera – full of life and activity around the clock – together with the various other cultural bodies of the area contributes to the vibrant and inspirational urban space at Holmen.
photo © Adam Mørk
Address: Ekvipagemestervej 10, 1438 Copenhagen, Denmark
Phone: +45 33 69 69 69
Photos of the building 8 May 2010:
The building viewed from across the harbour:
photos © Adrian Welch
Photos of the building 7 April 2006:
Black Cloud hovers; approach from southwest; massive cantilever over entry:
Looking out of foyer, north towards Amalienborg / city; foyer lights; foyer stair cut: 
Copenhagen Opera House architects – Henning Larsen
Copenhagen Opera House Photos © Adrian Welch
The Opera House resulted from a donation by the A.P. Møller & Chastine Mc-Kinney Møller Foundation. The building is on axis with the Queen’s Residence, Amalienborg
Operaen : Description
The Copenhagen Opera House was given to the people of Denmark from the AP Møller Foundation in Oct 2004. This boldy contemporary opera house is run by Det Kongelige Teater for opera + ballet. Located in Dokoen / Holmen on a promontory of dock east of Christianshavn in the centre of the city the building is 14 storeys high, five of which are below ground.
The design is reminiscent of the Concert Hall at Lucerne, Switzerland by architect Jean Nouvel*. When I visited Copenhagen in 2002 Holmen was a dull naval base cut off from the city; a recent visit in 2005 shows the huge cantilevers dominating the harbour from Knippelsbro.
The Danish Architecture Centre is located just to the west in the lovely old quarter of Christianshavn. Due to being located across the harbour from the centre of Copenhagen the Opera building is still quite out of the way, quite a walk from the Strøget.
Opera House Lighting: images © Speirs Major Associates
Scottish company Mike Stoane Lighting provided lights, whilst Speirs Major Associates (part Scottish) provided lighting design. Acoustic design was by Arup Acoustics with Henning Larsens Tegnestue. The site was gifted by Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller, Denmark’s wealthiest citizen. Maersk is one of the world’s largest shipping logistics companies at the time of writing, ie handling shipping containers, but are involved in other sectors.
Photo of Opera House under construction in 2002 – five yellow cranes, opposite Amalienborg:
Danish Architecture image © Adrian Welch
*The Cultural & Congress Centre was completed in 2000 just as designs were being prepared for the Opera House, surely an influence on Henning Larsen. Jean Nouvel has been commissioned to design a Concert Hall for the Danish Broadcasting Corporation.
Location: Ekvipagemestervej 10, 1438 Copenhagen, Denmark, northern Europe
Architecture in Copenhagen
Contemporary Architecture in the Danish Capital City
Copenhagen Architecture Designs – chronological list
Speirs Major Associates – responsible for lighting the Copenhagen Opera House – also designed the lighting for the Burj al Arab tower in Dubai.
DR Byen building : various architects
Royal Playhouse : Lundgaard & Tranberg Arkitekter
Copenhagen Building News – Selection
Bella Hotel : 3XN
Bryghusgrunden Project : Office for Metropolitan Architecture
Comments / photos for the Copenhagen Opera House page welcome
Website: kglteater.dk