Scandiaconsult to Create State-of-the-Art Solutions for the Oslo Opera


STOCKHOLM, Sweden, April 25, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Statsbygg, the Norwegian Directorate of Public Construction and Property, has commissioned Scandiaconsult for extensive assignments in connection with the planned opera house in central Oslo.

Scandiaconsult's assignment, in collaboration with NovoScen AB in Gothenburg, is to create the technical means for rapid and silent scene changes through advanced hydraulic solutions in the lower stage machinery. Via a 50-meter high fly tower, dramatic scene changes can be carried out without being noticed by the audience. Thanks to this technology, when inaugurated in 2008 the Oslo Opera will have the world's most state-of-the-art stage machinery. Consultants from Scandiaconsult's offices in Oslo and Gothenburg are participating in the assignment.

In June 1999 the Norwegian parliament approved the construction of a new opera house in Oslo, an investment of around NOK 2.8 billion. The international architectural competition was won by the Norwegian architectural group Snoehetta, which has earned wide renown in recent years. Construction of the Oslo Opera will be started in the autumn of 2002 and the grand opening is scheduled for September 2008.

Scandiaconsult's project organization has previously engineered stage machinery for the Stockholm Opera, the Gothenburg Opera and the Hannover Opera, among others.

"It's exciting that Scandiaconsult has the opportunity to contribute expertise in this type of advanced project where innovative technical solutions are applied. This particular assignment is a good example of how we work. Whenever possible, we make a habit of utilizing experience and resources from throughout our Nordic organization, since this enables us to put together project groups that are tailored to the client's specific needs", says Jan Ove Holmen, Managing Director of Scandiaconsult in Norway.

For additional information contact Jan Ove Holmen, Managing Director of Scandiaconsult in Norway, telephone + 47 22 51 80 00, or Anders Sundberg, Unit Manager for Structural Engineering in Gothenburg, telephone +46 31 335 33 00.

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