Above the Roofs

OPERA² describes a realistic short story of how space can be given back to the city without occupying new places. It is about culture, dance and joy, but also about coexistence - of people as well as of builded structures. In this case the answer lies on the roofs. The roofs of Berlin.

A roof extension of this magnitude is for sure not a 'small intervention', but the new open-air stage on the southern part of the existing roof tries to intervene minimally in the existing structure and demolish as little as possible. The openings alone: two elevators in the north and two small staircases in the south, connect the new location to the existing building. The sanitary facilities or escape stairs are simply reconnected from the existing ones. This 'small' action tries to use and activate the representative rooms of the opera, which are otherwise only used in the evening, all day long - as a transit point and as a new experience for the visitors.\nThe resulting experimental space on the roof is left to the creative artists. The new platform wants to free up space and not determine it. The two large vertically movable cranes open up a completely unrestricted organization and elaboration of the 'stage space'. So the roof is sometimes a circus tent, sometimes an arena and the next moment a free, empty space. The technical appearance of the entire complex attempts to expose and celebrate the interior aspects of the stage technology, which are hidden in the massive stage tower right behind it. The connection between the existing building and the new stage is via a 'mezzanine floor', which docks directly to the upper tiers of the opera and makes the large flat roof on the existing geometric structure accessible. The newly created Foyer² is therefore the smaller relative of the famous foyer on the first floor, which welcomes visitors to linger and chat during the breaks. A new creative place is being created in the middle of Berlin, for free choreography, which generates publicity and attractiveness at the same time. And might have a potential that our roofs are still lacking in many places today - a reinterpretation of the space above the roofs of Berlin.