HAMBURG, Germany, Nov. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In the years to come, a new world-class opera house is set to be built directly on the waterfront in Hamburg's HafenCity – an architecturally striking building designed to offer high-quality public space for both locals and visitors. It will be a venue for outstanding artistic performance, while remaining open and welcoming to all.
An independent jury, comprising representatives of the City of Hamburg, the Kühne Foundation and external experts, has unanimously selected the winning design by Bjarke-Ingels-Group (BIG). Their concept envisions a public roof landscape that opens in all directions – towards the city and the River Elbe – offering a walkable experience with panoramic views of HafenCity and the harbour. The planted spiral ramp of rooftop gardens, accessible to the public, was praised as a successful blend of landmark architecture and optimal operatic functionality.
The design will now be further developed over the next two years in close cooperation with the City of Hamburg, the foundation, and the Hamburg State Opera as the future main user. Upon completion of this extended planning phase and a robust cost assessment, the Kühne-Foundation will decide on whether to proceed with the project.
Initiated by arts-patron Klaus-Michael Kühne, the City of Hamburg, the Hamburg State Opera and the Kühne-Foundation have been in intensive dialogue for several months. The new opera house aims to become a future home for the State-Opera, the Hamburg-Ballet and the Philharmonic-State-Orchestra – while continuing the city's long musical tradition.
In February 2025, the City and the Kühne-Foundation reached an agreement on a contract for the construction of a new opera house. The implementation is to be managed by HSO-Projekt-gGmbH. In addition to the foundation, the City of Hamburg and the Hamburg State-Opera are also expected to participate. The City will make the public spaces surrounding the new opera house accessible to everyone and will cover location-specific additional costs of up to a capped amount of €147.5 million. The remaining construction costs will be borne by the foundation. Upon completion, the building will be transferred to the City as a gift.
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