The purpose of the detailed plan is to allow the Royal Swedish Opera to continue operating at this location as it has for 250 years, said Max Elger, Director General of the Swedish Property Board, at a press conference where they showed what the renovated opera is intended to look like.
The new detailed plan consists of a new stage, primarily for children and young people, with its own foyer and entrance from Jakobs torg. An extension will accommodate three ballet halls, new rehearsal facilities for the orchestra, a large staff room facing Strömmen and a public terrace facing Kungsträdgården.
The extension is designed within the opera building's "existing footprint" and is based on its original volumes.
Furthermore, the audience experience will be improved in the existing parts of the opera house in terms of, among other things, acoustics, comfort, accessibility and the indoor environment.
The current building is completely worn out, Elger notes.
All technical systems are worn out. This applies to sewage, water, ventilation and electricity. We must renovate the building under all circumstances. It is no longer possible to patch and repair.
Max Elger emphasizes that the renovation requires great consideration of cultural history. In addition to the visible changes, 10 kilometers of sewer pipes and 20 kilometers of water pipes will also be replaced.
There is no timetable for the project yet, according to Elger.
Facts: The Royal Opera House is being renovated
An extensive renovation of the over 125-year-old opera house in central Stockholm is to be carried out.
The upcoming renovation is estimated to cost 3.5 billion kronor and has been described as the Swedish Property Board's most extensive project to date. The major investment is being funded by 300 million kronor in private donations.
The last performance in the opera house will take place in early December this year.
The opera and ballet will temporarily be moved to Gasometer in Norra Djurgårdsstaden, a relatively new district in northern Stockholm.
The Young Opera will have a permanent stage in the premises of the Museum of Performing Arts in central Stockholm.
Rehearsal facilities for the Royal Orchestra will be in the Musikaliska kvarteret at Nybroplan, where administration and archives will also move.
