Shanghai Grand Opera House

Now nearing completion on the convex bank of the Huangpu River in Shanghai's Expo Houtan district, the Shanghai Grand Opera House is Snøhetta's competition-winning civic landmark — first awarded in 2017 and developed in consortium with East China Architectural Design & Research Institute (ECADI), Theatre Projects and Nagata Acoustics. A sweeping helical roof wraps the site in a single continuous gesture, extending beyond the building's enclosed volumes to form an elevated, publicly accessible civic platform; a spiraling pathway leads visitors from ground level to an observation deck overlooking the Huangpu and the Shanghai skyline. Beneath the roof, three auditoriums anchor the program: a 2,000-seat main hall designed for opera and large-scale productions and tuned to international acoustic standards by Nagata, a 1,200-seat secondary hall and a 1,000-seat flexible black-box theater. Public foyers feature expansive glazed facades, oak flooring and dark-stained wood that supports acoustic performance, alongside restaurants, exhibition spaces, education facilities and screening rooms. Opening is anticipated in the second half of 2026, with the project among ArchDaily's most-anticipated completions of the year.