Completion of the bridging structure!
An important step for the “Future Opera” construction project
Between July and November 2024, a single-storey, pavilion-like wooden structure was built on the roof of our extension known as “Fleischkäse”. This temporary bridging structure on the corner of Falkenstrasse and Utoquai will provide the opera house with around 330 square meters of additional usable space in the short term. In addition to around 20 new office workstations, there are now also separate ladies' changing rooms for employees from the props, stage technology, sound technology and lighting departments.
The timber construction developed by Zurich architects EM2N blends in with the existing building structure and places particular emphasis on functionality, flexibility and sustainability: a photovoltaic system was installed on the roof of the new building and the entire building can be rebuilt elsewhere at a later date. The total planned costs of the project amounted to CHF 4.57 million and were not exceeded.
The completed bridging building only solves the most pressing space problems of the building. The overall situation can only be improved in a more extensive structural development of the entire “Fleischkäse” building, according to the results of independent studies. The aim for the first half of the 2030s is therefore a construction project entitled “Future Opera”, which will not only ensure that Zurich Opera House is fit for the future, but will also create added value for the city and canton.