BIG and ALB-Architect create elegant theatre & new public space for Prishtina

Tenderstream member BIG and ALB-Architect have unveiled the design for Kosovo’s first Opera and Ballet Theatre, located in the heart of Prishtina. Commissioned by Kosovo’s Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport, the theatre will include a 1,200-capacity concert hall, alongside a 1,000-capacity theatre, a 300-seat recital hall, and an education and conference centre, all under one roof. 

Located next to the Palace of Youth & Sports, the Fadil Vokrri Stadium, and the Public Services Ministry, the site is uniquely positioned to establish a new cultural quarter and a vibrant national landmark. The design for the theatre extends the Palace’s podium in order to integrate it with the new building, activating it as a vibrant public space framed by grand civic stairs. By placing all vehicle servicing beneath the podium extension, with car parking in the basement, the site is set to serve the city as a public park and plaza. 

The four main theatre venues connect to a central back-of-house spine, while rehearsal and administrative spaces are stacked above, ensuring a compact arrangement. The entire structure is covered by an elegant ‘shroud’ clad in solar shingles and supported by exposed timber rafters. This undulating exterior is intended to appear sleek and dynamic when viewed from outside, while presenting a warm, inviting interior to those entering the building. 

Bjarke Ingels, Founder & Creative Director, BIG, stated: “We are deeply honoured to be entrusted with the design of the new home for the performing arts in a country that has gifted the world with an outsized cultural impact in the performing arts. Our design for the Opera & Ballet Theatre of Kosovo is conceived like an efficient factory for the fabrication of artistic expression. The rational nucleus is wrapped in a continuous canopy, creating an engaging public space open in all directions. The undulating roof creates a flowing and inviting presence evocative of the Xhubleta, the traditional national dress of Kosovo.” 

Lucy Nordberg
Tenderstream Head of Research

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