Overview
- The winning BIG design envisions a glass opera house with a walkable, terrace-like roof offering public access and views over the harbor.
- Under a February agreement, the Kühne Foundation pledges up to €330 million and assumes cost‑overrun risk, while the city covers site and preparation expenses.
- Hamburg budgets €147.5 million for location-specific costs such as foundation work and flood protection and about €104 million for land, promenade and park works.
- Detailed plans and a firm cost estimate will precede the foundation’s final decision by the end of Q1 2028; construction could start in early 2030 with completion around 2034 if approved.
- Five renowned teams competed—BIG, gmp with Diller Scofidio & Renfro, Studio PFP, Snøhetta and Sou Fujimoto—and officials argue a new build is cheaper than fully renovating the Dammtorstraße Staatsoper, which would be retained for other cultural uses.