The Norwegian Government proposed one of the most impressive design themes in the past few years, worth more than 500 million EUR. Oslo Opera House was intended not only to become the most important cultural and architectural milestone in Norway, but also to bring a new approach to a classic theme – complete creative freedom in designing a building that has always been strictly dedicated to opera and ballet.
The result was astonishing, due to the fresh design solution and the small “surprises” reserved for the visitors, such as the possibility to have a picnic lunch on the roof of the building. The novelty was also the location itself, as the Opera is located in the city’s harbour. A very audacious technical solution allowed for half of the building to be erected on the surface of the harbour landfill and the other half on water.
The metallic structure and components needed for the project were supplied by Ruukki, one of the most experienced producer of metal based solutions in Europe. Ruukki was involved in every step of the project. Alongside the architects who designed the Alexandria Library in 2002 – Craig Dykers and Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, Snohetta bureau of architecture – Ruukki created one of the most advanced metallic structures for a public building. The company supplied most of the steel structures – frame, foundation piles and retaining wall structures. The steel foundation piles extend to a depth of up to 60 metres and the largest are over 2.5 metres in diameter. The steel structure was supplied with installation and fire resistance coating. The roof of the main stage rests on steel structures provided by Ruukki. Ruukki also provided the assembling, most of which was done on the spot.
The roof structure had to be gradually installed. First – the four inclined columns supporting the roof at the entrance of the building had to be temporarily secured, before the permanent roof structure was completed. Another demanding part of the project was the production and installation of the roof above the main auditorium, for which Ruukki developed and supplied a so-called steel crown. The maximum height of the stage is 54 metres, whereas the stage itself goes down to 16 metres under the water level.
The steel piles for the foundations extend to a depth of up to 60 metres, a challenge imposed by the project and especially by the soil conditions – hard bedrock. Due to the massive dimensions of the structure, the largest metallic piles reached up to 2.5 meters in diameter.
The artistic concept imagined by Snohetta represented a true challenge for the Ruukki engineers, especially due to the fact that one of the requirements was to create a steel alloy that would endure 300 years under water! The underwater assembling of the pillars required difficult excavation and assembly manoeuvres, due to the bedrock rigidity and the fact the team had to work under the sea level.
Another key element was the under-water barrier that Ruukki built in order to prevent ocean-going ships from accidentally crashing into the building. Nevertheless, should a medium-sized ship collide with the building, the steel piles will bear the pressure and prevent possible damage. The construction contains a total of 28 km of piles. Due to their dimensions, the assembling required for the piles to be delivered at a maximum length of 12 meters each, The components were subsequently soldered on the spot.
In numbers, Oslo Opera House means 38.500 built square meters, 207 meters length, 110 meters width, a total capacity of 1800 seats and a 19.000 square meters marble façade. The famous Italian La Facciata marble was especially chosen for the project because its specific glow when wet. From an architectural and technical point of view, Oslo Opera House represents the best European project in the last two years and a totally innovative approach of a classic theme. The brief of the contest emphasized the need for the Opera House to be defined by a monumental architecture.
Ruukki supplied the metal based solutions that are now visible just in the drawing plans or in the pictures made during the various construction stages. Nevertheless, the Oslo Opera House remains not only a triumph of the creativity and vision in architecture, but also a triumph of the construction engineering, to which Ruukki specialists contributed for 5 years, the time needed for building the project.
Photo credits: Ruukki.
For additional details, please visit www.ruukki.ro
