Image courtesy foster + partners margot and bill winspear opera house - entrance Image courtesy foster + partners margot and bill winspear opera house - grand staircase argentinean artist guillermo kuitca was commissioned to create a curtain for the stage. a chandelier with 320 cascading acrylic tubes of light is drawn up into the ceiling of the auditorium with its two mighty rings, at the beginning of each performance. the detail and finishes improve the resonance of the human voice, while making the orchestra sound rich but clear. the carefully designed acoustics are also enhanced by the compactness of the auditorium. intimacy is further reinforced by emphasizing the balcony fronts, with their white gold finish highlighted against the rich dark red interior. the distance between the stage and the balcony is only 85 ft. a horseshoe plan combined with the dramatic vertical stacking of its six seating levels ensures that the audience is as close as possible to the stage, thus enhancing the impact of the performance. The auditorium for an audience of 2200 is designed to be as intimate as possible. Internally, behind the glazed screen, there are a series of publicly welcoming spaces, which wrap around the rich red glass drum of the auditorium. Image courtesy foster + partners margot and bill winspear opera house beneath the canopy, which forms an integral part of the environmental strategy, a shaded pedestrian plaza creates a major new public space for dallas, as defined by the masterplan designed by foster + partners and OMA for the AT&T performing arts center.

this establishes a direct relationship between inside and outside, creating greater accessibility and thus a more democratic building. Responding to the dallas climate, a solar canopy extends from the building, shading a fully glazed, sixty-foot-tall lobby which enhances the transparency of the building.

The margot and bill winspear opera house, dallas by foster + partners opened yesterday. Margot and bill winspear opera house by foster + partners/OMA at the AT &T performing arts center in dallas