Designed by BIG in collaboration with the local firm ALB-Architect, the project for the new Opera & Ballet Theatre in Prishtina – the capital of Kosovo, in the Balkans, southeastern Europe – features four performance halls and a public plaza. It will be the new home of the Kosovo Philharmonic, Ballet, and Opera.

The building will rise close to the Palace of Youth & Sports, Fadil Vokrri Stadium, and the country’s Public Service Ministry, and feature a concert hall seating 1,200, a theater hall for 1,000, and recital hall for 300, a theater room, and an education and conference center, all under one roof.

BIG proposes a simple, flexible, and functional arrangement for the auditoriums, giving them a soft undulating outer skin of photovoltaic tiles. Drawing inspiration from the xhubleta, a traditional bell-shaped skirt worn by Kosovan women, the building’s shape gives it a distinctive cultural identity.

The soft, free-flowing undulations are a naturally inviting gesture, guiding visitors towards the entrances and key facilities from all angles. The central foyer, which gets daylight through a central overhead opening, serves all four performance venues, the interiors of which are unified by a coherent design language, incorporating curved wooden elements that are sculpturally beautiful and highly functional in the respective spaces.