Glasshouse Theatre

A new AU$150 million theatre in Brisbane, Australia, features an interpretive curtain of curved glass enveloping the building, creating a sense of the whole building as theatre. The texture and shape of the riparian façade, and the materials used, reference the water’s edge at nearby Kurilpa Point on the Brisbane River.

Internationally renowned Norwegian architecture practice Snøhetta and Brisbane firm Blight Rayner Architecture together beat 23 other teams to win a competition for the Glasshouse Theatre design. Both practices have a background in major theatre and entertainment centre design. Snøhetta’s Oslo Opera House won the the World Architecture Festival’s Cultural Award in 2008 and Mies van der Rohe award in 2009.

Their design extends cantilevered transparent foyers beyond the boundaries with two new studio spaces visible to the streets for performances. The highly expressive curved glass façade required rigorous resolution of design-related performance complexities, including reflected glare to surrounding public spaces, high solar heat gains, thermal fracture of glazing, and challenging internal comfort conditions during peak crowd events. The scale of glazing also created difficulties meeting energy compliance requirements.

Inhabit delivered a suite of specialist analyses, including reflected glare and heat risk assessment, daylight and internal glare modelling, and thermal fracture assessment to inform glazing selection.

Crowd modelling and queuing analysis assessed comfort and safety at lifts, toilets, bars, and box office areas during peak events. Sustainability concept advice and early energy compliance support informed design decisions and helped manage performance risk.

This work supported clearer decision-making, identified key risks early, and reduced the likelihood of long-term operational and maintenance issues.