Hungarian State Opera / operational areas

Location: Budapest

Date: 2020 - 2022

Size: 8500 m2 

Architecture: ZDA – Zoboki Design & Architecture

Interior Design: Demeter Design Studio

Design Team: Ákos Csigó, Nóra Demeter, Petra Farkas, Ibolya Fehér, Miklós Leits, Ivett Pásztor, Tibor Polgár, Edina Simon, Nenad Zoric 

Photo: Tamás Réthey-Prikkel

The Hungarian State Opera House in Budapest designed by Miklós Ybl, perhaps the greatest architect of the century. "Back to the Ybl tradition" was the motto of the refurbishment and modernisation of the building.

The refurbishment not only included the actual theatre and the historic public zones, but also the vast „back of house” territories which are the actual operational and practice facilities of the entire opera and ballet. These areas of the Opera House consist of 11 different spaces (artists' canteen, orchestra dressing rooms, general director's room, soloists' dressing rooms, offices and adjoining ancillary areas, circulation areas, ballet rooms, group dressing rooms, house stage, choir rehearsal room, storage rooms) and are spread over 7 different levels.

DDS aimed to integrate the design of the back of house areas into the historic environment and to formulate functional and multifaceted technical requirements, therein generating a venue in line with 21st Century requirements.