The historic Zurich Opera House and the adjacent extension building will need to be renovated in the first half of the 2030s, and the detailed planning for this project is beginning now. The goal is to remedy the fundamental deficiencies so that the opera house can continue to fulfil the mandate set out in the Opera House Act and strive for “outstanding quality and international impact of artistic performance”, as well as the “communication of its offerings to broad sections of the population”.
Thanks to continuous and conscientious maintenance, the historic building is in good condition. However, for example, the seating and the technical installations are outdated – and barrier-free access to all performance venues must be created. By contrast, the 1984 extension building – with its rehearsal stages, ballet studios, workshops, dressing rooms, offices and the integrated Bernhard Theater – as well as the backstage area of the historic opera house show serious deficiencies. According to a study by the theatre planning consultancy Kunkel Consulting, the Zurich Opera House has a space deficit of 60 %, and this lack of space is noticeable everywhere, both in front of and behind the “red curtain”.
