Like other monuments of Saint Petersburg, the golden shell of the new opera, whose construction has finally been cancelled, does not conform to the building’s interior shape. Rather, it keeps its distance, even managing to envelope the structure without touching the banks of the canal. It hovers over the halls, thus freeing up vast volumes, much like being under a cupola. Like a garment of light, it is broadly deployed ‘around the body’, leaving free spaces, open to the city, prolonging the public space right into the interior of the building as a succession of foyers forming one generous covered gallery linking the main hall with the modern one, with restaurants, cafes, boutiques and other services. The building takes advantage of this distance between envelope and edifice, transforming its upper levels into terraces, balconies and belvederes. One of these spaces emerges above the roofs, perceiving through its architecture the presence of the city. These upper levels of the buildings are accessible to all, day and night, during shows, rehearsals, set construction and dismantling. They make up the tip of the iceberg of this open space for strolling, observing what happens around, or agreeing upon a meeting point.