Bjarke Ingels Group Selected โto Designโข Hamburg‘s New Kรผhne Opera
HAMBURG, GERMANY – November 13, 2025 – Teh Bjarke ingels Group (BIG), a Danish architecture firm, has won the international competition to design Hamburg’s new opera house, โฃfunded largely by the Kรผhne Foundation. The selection culminates aโค period of debateโ surrounding the project’s financing and the legacy of the foundation’s โคfounder.
the new opera house aims to revitalize hamburg’s cultural landscape โwith a design characterized by warm wood and organic shapes.Though, โthe project has faced scrutiny due to โคconcerns about โคthe selection process and allegations regarding the past of Klaus-Michael Kรผhne’s โขfamily buisness. The Kรผhne Foundation is providing substantial โคfinancial backing forโค the construction, with the city of Hamburg retaining ownership of the completed building.
In February 2025, Hamburg city officials and the โฃKรผhne Foundation formalized an agreement toโ proceed with โthe opera’s construction. The โขdeal stipulates that the city will cover the costs associated with โฃpreparing the land for the building, while the foundation will primarily finance the โconstruction itself. Senator for Culture Carsten Brosda emphasized the foundationโค bears the financial risk, not the city. Constructionโ is tentatively scheduled toโฃ begin in 2030.
Theโ competition and subsequent selection have not been without controversy. Critics initially questioned the limited number of firms invited to participate and raised concerns about Kรผhne’s family business history, specifically allegations concerning its involvement โduring the Nazi era. The foundation has not publicly addressed these claims โขin detail.
