Opéra de Lyon

Jean Nouvel won the competition to extend and renovate the Opera House in Lyon, with a project that used the old building, particularly its grand ground- and first-floor façades on the south, east, and west, as a point of departure and reference for the new. This way Nouvel linked the building to the surrounding official buildings, but the new drum roof, like the lid of an enormous jewel box, however, marks it as wholly contemporary. By both night and day this dense and complex building forms a new landmark for the city. This project has become very popular in this city, not only because it was breaking the rules of reacting on historical environment, but also because of its quality in mixed space design.