Sevastopol Opera and Ballet Theater 

The building integrates itself confidently into the existing landscape and forms an ensemble with the adjacent memorial to which it is aligned. A graceful, wide-span, flying roof covers the opera house between Kapitans’ka Street to the south and the shore to the north. From the street side, the opera house is accessible through a spacious entrance.

The heart of the project is located in the center of the building: an auditorium for 1.100 visitors including a stage tower and back of house areas. The additional functions, such as offices, VIP rooms, and rehearsal rooms are arranged in a ring-shaped structure called ​“The Clip”. The Clip embraces the Auditorium and is also functionally connected to it. The foyer area circumjacent to the Auditorium provides a publicly accessible and generous open space that wraps around both sides of the auditorium to the restaurant and public terrace.

The public space is fully glazed to the outside and offers spectacular views of the 40 meters tall Soldier and Sailor Memorial and the Black Sea. As the plinth extends to the bay, it forms a cantilevered terrace that hovers above the steeply sloped landscape. The adjacent restaurant and terrace are accessible to visitors at any time of the day.

Design concept – Building Elements 

The Opera and Ballet Theater consists of four essential architectural elements, which compose a coordinated sculptural ensemble:

Roof - The Roof is a wide-spanning, floating shape, making the Theater visible from afar. It reflects the musical dimension of the building and gives shelter to the interior spaces as well as the public outdoor areas like the seaside terrace. Above the foyer and the restaurant, a patterned perforation subtly lets the sunlight in.

Clip – The Clip surrounds the Auditorium in a sinuous movement and is embedded between the Roof and the Plinth. It covers all back-of-house functions bordering on the exterior, which are the ballet rehearsal rooms, canteen, VIP changing rooms, VIP area, and offices.

The Auditorium is the heart of the Theater. As the pearl of the oyster, it sits in the center of the building complex. The auditorium is oriented towards and accessible from the foyer. The stage and back of house area including the stage tower, changing rooms, rehearsal rooms, toilets, and kitchen area are connected to it.

Plinth – The Plinth is the counterpart of the Roof but instead of floating in the air, it is peeling off the ground, thus literally reflecting the dynamic shape of the Roof. It holds the box office, the chamber hall and its foyer, public toilets, a parking level with access to the VIP area, access for artists and staff, a loading dock, storage, and technical spaces. The public area on top of the Plinth comprises the main foyer, ticket counter, cloakroom, cafeteria, public toilets, restaurant as well as an outdoor terrace.

The horizontal alignment of this ensemble of elements recalls a musical notation: if the roof reflects the high voices of the soloist, the base stands for the lower voices of the score.