«Meatloaf» is being replaced
The expansion of the Zurich Opera House must make way for a new building. The corresponding design competition begins this Friday.
It is intended to be a «landmark new building» that «enhances and further develops the cityscape and the opera house.» This is what the Zurich Opera House’s leadership stated in a press release issued on Friday. The opera house’s existing extension—commonly nicknamed «meatloaf» because of its color and shape—will be replaced. The design competition for the new building officially begins this Friday.
According to the press release, the construction project is intended to ensure «the opera house’s sustainability for the next 60 to 90 years.» Plans include, among other things, a freely accessible terrace and an «open foyer,» as well as a new assembly hall, renovations to the dressing rooms, a laboratory stage, and additional rehearsal and music rooms. The competition will proceed as follows: initially, a maximum of 25 teams will be selected from all entries. Subsequently, a jury chaired by Vittorio Magnano Lampugnani, professor emeritus at ETH, will select the winning project through an anonymous review process. The winning project is scheduled to be announced in late 2027.
The project team expects construction to take four to six years. During this time, games will be moved to a temporary venue. The construction costs are not yet known, but estimates suggest they could amount to half a billion francs.
