Objective of the art competitionThe Staatsoper Unter den Linden was constructed in 1743 by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff. Consequences of fire, war damage and changes in standards made building renovation necessary several times in the course of its 250-year history. Today’s opera house was designed by the architect Richard Paulick in 1951 and became a listed building in 1979.

The ensemble of buildings forming the Staatsoper is in urgent need of extensive renovation. In the year 2009, Prof. HG Merz was awarded the contract to renovate the historical building. Within the restrictions of historical preservation, problems in structural engineering were resolved and the outdated building facilities are being brought to contemporary standards of safety regulations. Barrier-free access, ventilation systems and fire protection are also being improved. From the pedestrian perspective the exterior appearance of the opera remains the same. The volume of the auditorium is being enlarged to achieve better acoustics. To accomplish this, the historical ceiling is being lifted within the existing building mass. The design of the opera house on Unter den Linden with its extensions and colors from the 1950s will thereby be complemented and reestablished.

Building measures for the renovation of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden began in September 2010. Operations are planned to resume in autumn 2017.

As part of the building task an art-in-architecture competition is being held.
Competition task and location of the artworkThis art competition is a call for proposals for the artistic design of the “Konditorei” located on the basement floor of the opera house. The space of the “Konditorei” is approximately 390 sq. m. in size and is open to visitors during intermissions for refreshments. The room is also available for smaller events and concerts.

An artwork specifically created for this space should enrich the Staatsoper and contribute to the institution’s identity. The place of art in architecture is not to comment on or illustrate the purpose of a place. It is to create space for reflection. It can also express or stimulate confrontation with central topics of the house. In this competition, the sponsor explicitly does not want acoustic pieces.

Attention is drawn to the room’s situation as well as the entire building ensemble’s status as listed structures. In the “Konditorei” approximately 35 percent of the existing 500 sqm of the wood-paneled area is available for the artistic design proposal.

Further information about the location of the artwork is available at https://www.phase1.de/dso-k. Beyond what is published on the aforementioned website, no additional information about the the project, the location of the planned artwork or competition task will be distributed. More detailed explanation will be made available in the competition brief.