A Rippling Glass Theatre by Blight Rayner and Snøhetta

Earlier this year, Brisbane’s Queensland Performing Arts Centre unveiled its striking new Glasshouse Theatre, a 1,500-seat venue designed by Blight Rayner Architecture in partnership with Snøhetta. Located on a previously undeveloped corner of the QPAC complex in South Bank, the building is wrapped in an extraordinary undulating glass façade.

The rippling exterior was inspired by a prose poem by Aboriginal Elder and artist Lilla Watson, referencing the movement of the Brisbane River and fish beneath its surface. Two tiers of individually shaped glass panels rise more than 14 metres, wrapping around foyers that remain highly transparent and connected to the surrounding streets. The façade also incorporates sophisticated environmental engineering, with four-layer glazing and ceramic inlays designed to reduce heat gain and glare.

Inside, the openness of the foyers gives way to a much darker and more intimate auditorium, where sweeping ribbons of dark grey ironbark timber curve around rainforest green seating. Designed to accommodate everything from ballet and opera to symphony, theatre and musicals, the highly adaptable space brings the furthest seat within just 28 metres of the stage. Together with its wraparound balconies, flexible orchestra pit and fully automated fly system, the new venue expands QPAC into the largest performing arts centre under one roof in Australia.

Images: Christopher Frederick Jones and David Kelly.

Blight Rayner’s website Snøhetta’s website