Dubai Opera is the centrepiece of downtown Dubai’s new Opera District. Its multifunctional auditorium makes it the most technically complex and ultramodern performing-arts venue in the world. Through a unique system of moving floors, walls and ceilings tested via extensive virtual modelling, it can convert into three modes: 2,000-seat theatre, concert hall, or ‘flat-floor’ form offering a 2,000-square-metre space for events such as exhibitions and galas. Close partnership between multiple design and engineering disciplines was essential from the outset. The building’s shape is inspired by the traditional Arab dhow, celebrating the contribution of maritime trade to the city’s prosperity. Blurring the lines between interior and plaza, the foyer’s anti-reflective glass façade transforms theatregoers into performers.

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture