Queen Sofia Palace of Arts

Brief information

The opera house here is arranged like a vertical mechanism: the Queen Sofía Palace of the Arts rises 14 floors above ground and extends three floors below it. At 75 meters high, it has been called the tallest opera house in the world, but something else is more important: beneath the long, curved metal roof, four halls are gathered together, designed for different kinds of performances.

The building was designed by Santiago Calatrava in the northwestern part of Valencia's City of Arts and Sciences and officially opened in 2005. Its first season quickly showed how complex this theatrical machine was: the stage platform and lower floors suffered from malfunctions and flooding, so the building's technical structure became part of its history, not merely a backdrop for performances.

What to notice right away

It is worth comparing the building's outer shell with its internal logic. The 230-meter-long curved metal roof covers not a single hall, but an entire system of venues. The main hall is distinguished by four tiers, a very large stage, and an orchestra pit for up to 120 musicians; these details explain why the theater is designed for complex opera productions rather than a chamber format.

The second important principle is the halls' vertical arrangement. The Auditorio is located above the main hall and can project images of the action taking place below. The Martí i Soler Theater, by contrast, is built below the water level of the river surrounding the theater. After the 2007 flood, it was precisely the lower floors and stage equipment that proved vulnerable. In this way, the building's structure helps one read its history: its striking form is connected with real technical complexity.