Archives: ZDA munkák

HUNGARIAN STATE OPERA

Renovation of a 19TH century masterpiece

The Opera house, which was first opened on 24^th September 1884, is a renaissance building, a masterpiece of Hungarian eclectic architecture, and a heritage building of European standing.

The use of state-of-the-art technology of the 19^th century earned the Opera House its enviable reputation as one of the best of its kind in Europe. The public areas of the Opera House are spacious, elegant and opulent, reflecting the high expectations of its patrons of the time. In the horseshoe- shaped three-story auditorium the ceiling is decorated with murals and a beautiful chandelier made of bronze.

The Opera House was last renovated in 1982. After 35 years, the technology used for the stage and for the building itself had become largely obsolete, and the building needed a full refurb. Every element of the building was examined and documented using point cloud and other digital techniques to assist in the planning of the renovation. The renovation works were carried out in a BIM system in which ZDA collaborated with hundreds of experts, engineers, artists and restoration professionals in what was one of the most challenging projects of its kind in the past decade in Hungary. The renovation process is now nearing completion and the final handover is expected in early 2022.

The Restoresd Auditorium

After a complete restoration of the Lotz fresco, the likewise restored chandelier was returned to its original place in the ceiling.

The capacity of the 1,289-seat auditorium was reduced to its original capacity of  1,035, and the narrow cinema seats that were added in the    1950s will be replaced by comfortable armchairs.

World- Class Acoustics

The acoustics of the auditorium were a key consideration in the renovation process. The aim was to restore the original acoustic attributes of the exceptionally high-quality theatre building designed by the original architect, combining the best practices of that time with the latest 21^st-century technology. Numerous changes have been implemented in order to improve the overall sound experience, including changing the orchestra pit back into a reverberation chamber. The 1,289-seat capacity of the auditorium will be reduced to its original capacity of 1,035, and the narrow cinema seats that were added in the 1950s will be replaced by comfortable armchairs

Adapting to the latest requirements

The grand staircase was restored to its original 19^th-century condition, with subtle modifications to improve the functionality of the space. The lighting within the space was also significantly improved. The gates leading to the side staircases were opened, creating a safe fire escape route. In order that the facility should be able to host other types of programmes, the staircase was equipped with cutting-edge  audio equipment

Coordinating the restoration works

Under the terms of a design and build contract, the architects at ZDA monitored the construction process at every step. Coordinating the work of the restoration experts and the engineers was necessary to ensure that the coherence of the 19^th-entury spaces was preserved. The intricate details of both the internal and the external spaces could only be restored to their former glory through the work of the very best restoration professionals.

In China’s New York, Shenzhen, a project that is outstanding even at international scale was realized in ZDA’s general planning contractorship in cooperation with local architects: the new cultural, sports and leisure centre of the Nanshan District. There was no building of such size and importance built abroad on the basis of the plans of a Hungarian architectural practice before.
The city of Shenzhen in South China with its 16 million inhabitants is the face of people’s China shown towards the “western“ world – its architectural design is prepared by world-class practices. The management of Nanshan District, in the course of a European study trip in 2007, seeing the architectural and technological level of the Budapest Palace of Arts designed by ZDA, decided to continue its already started cultural project with the involvement of the Hungarian office.

The newly built city space was a new cultural and leisure centre for Nanshan with several millions of inhabitants: to the already existing library building, a cultural centre with two theatre halls suitable for opera and children’s theatre function, a contemporary art museum, an open-air theatre and a sports complex were added, the latter being suitable for swimming events as well. In the large main square providing space for great mass events, an open-air theatre and a huge fountain with a unique plastic art work were also envisaged.

The multifunctional large auditorium of the Cultural Center is able to serve various demands from drama productions through all genres of musical theatre productions to concerts and galas. The flexible use is ensured by the variable stage size and acoustical environment. This is where a raising and lowering ceiling in its entire size above the auditorium was first used, which is an acoustical feat. With the movable ceiling, the dynamically waving system of galleries and the individual appearance of the solid wood panelling, the auditorium is considered one of the theatre halls with the best qualities in China. The metal cladding appearing on the elevation is made of individually designed aluminium elements floating as a membrane in front of the vivid red elevation (illuminated at night).
The lobby with high interior height embracing all levels of the building opens towards the square with a huge glass façade. The auditoriums are bounded by red and blue slanting and arched wall surfaces displaying the masks of Chinese theatre magnified enormous. The white communication ribbons wrapping round the masks hide the stairs and lifts.

Our office designed also the concept of the elevation, technology and interior design of the museum. Adjusted to the local museum and institutional principles, the demands of the artists exhibited in the house and the international museum trends, the possibility was created for displaying various exhibitions from blockbusters to traditional Chinese folk art. Exhibition spaces with various characters were created to receive exhibitions with different demands. These are connected by a lobby zone that may also be used as a spectacular event space.

The entire architectural and technical design process of the cultural complex and the square up to the design development phase performed by the design team consisting of Hungarian and foreign engineers was coordinated by ZDA. Differently from the domestic exercise, the project was approached not only by architectural and engineering studies, but also by a series of functional and building technique studies, investing extraordinary energy into creating the programme. This made it possible for the professional and political clients to be involved in the task and become almost co-creators regarding usage and operational issues that were not properly thought over earlier. During the authorization process and the preparation of construction plans, ZDA worked together with three Chinese architectural offices. By checking the construction designs of the detailed English and Chinese documentations, coordinating the construction process down to the most important details, thanks to the devoted on-site work of the Chinese colleagues and the multiple on-site coordination of the office, the building complex was completed in excellent quality.

The museum of Dongying city is an integral part of the new cultural and commercial district growing on the bank of the Guang Li River, the urban architectural concept of which was conceived also by ZDA. The urban architectural design study for the new district and outstanding buildings of the Chinese oil city with several million inhabitants in the mouth of the Yellow River makes the birth of a modern Chinese city along European architectural traditions possible. The museum planned as a part of the urban architectural concept displays the historic, cultural and natural heritage of the region in a modern and complex manner. 

Two versions were prepared for the plan of the building concept:

• Following the theme of the museum, the building is in direct physical connection with the Guang Li River, and it becomes an emphatic element of the river bank.
• The separated units with different topics are connected by a spectacular common lobby, a helical glazed atrium, enriching the complex of exhibition spaces with an exciting community space.