Bjarke Ingels' Danish studio has won the competition to build the new headquarters of the Hamburg State Opera, a project that redefines the cultural landscape of HafenCity. Located on the Baakenhöft peninsula, the 45,000 m² complex is intended to house both the State Opera and the Hamburg Ballet, replacing the 1950s building on Dammtorstraße, while meeting the acoustic, spatial, and technical demands of a contemporary institution.

The project proposes a strong connection between culture and port life on the banks of the Elbe, similar to Herzog & de Meuron's nearby Elbphilharmonie. The new opera house is configured as a landscape of terraces, evoking sound waves expanding from a core towards the port. Inside, a large foyer welcomes visitors, who are guided by two wooden staircases that articulate the route, with the main levels having direct access to outdoor terraces.

The heart of the building is the main hall, modeled by concentric rings of wood that create a continuous surface and optimize sound diffusion. Around it, BIG Landscape has developed a park inspired by the movement of water, composed of sloping terraces, vegetated dunes, and marshy gardens that naturally manage the flow of the Elbe and retain rainwater.