With change comes controversy!  However, I am not going to discuss the politics behind the new additions to the Dallas Arts District. Rather, I will focus on my experience sitting amongst Pritzker Prize winning architect Norman Foster.  Norman Foster of Foster + Partners architectural firm and architect of the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House held an Architecture Forum during the grand opening last week.

You can imagine the turn out to see such a celebrity architect.  Reflecting back as a college student, I would have never dreamed of this opportunity to be in the presence of an architectural icon.

Photo courtesy AT&T Performing Arts Center.

As I walked briskly to the dynamic opera house, touching and admiring the materials that I had seen afar, I could not wait to get through the doors to see the interior (and he himself Norman Foster).  I found myself on the upper level but dead center with a perfect view.  Greeted by a powerful voice and intellect-I was hooked from the start.

Photos:  Interior Views of the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House.

Much of the discussion was based on what Lord Norman Foster sees as three important factors in architecture:  the City, Culture and Nature.  Such factors are apparent in the Winspear and its impact on the ever changed Dallas sky line.

Photo courtesy DMagazine.

The Winspear, named after private donor Bill Winspear, is one of the venues amongst the 68 acres that make up the Art District in the heart of downtown Dallas.  It is a manifestation of what Lord Foster views as the importance of architecture and infrastructure.

Photo courtesy of AT&T Performing Arts Center.

The building itself is situated between both interstate and well landscaped public outdoor space.

Photo courtesy of DMagazine.

Its impressive canopy serves both as a shading mechanism and distinguishes the opera house’s locale.   A major attraction is the operable glass walls that surround the buildings core and allow the integration of the interior to its exterior landscape.  Sammons Park, the landscape that graces the Winspear includes multiple lawns of matured trees, gardens, promenades and walkways.  An example of how the architecture affects the city’s culture and underlying architectural idea of urban regeneration.

Photo courtesy of AT&T Performing Arts Center.

It is hard to ignore the sheen of the red drum from the exterior; however, the Winspear was designed from the inside out.  Composed of a traditional horse shoe shaped house, materials dictated by acoustics and a retractable chandelier that drops down light by light, the interior is enchanting.  At night the interior lights reflect through the glass façade and provoke a sense of magic to the city.  There is also the dialogue between the building and the movement of its visitors, creating a sense of floating in space.

Photo courtesy AT&T Performing Arts Center

As I mentioned, with change comes controversy.  Does this Art District fit into the city? Will it attract an international audience?  Will there be urban resurrection? Those are the questions, but whatever stance you take, the Winspear Opera House is here and it is here to stay.  Along with other world renowned projects such as the Great Court of the British Museum in London, Beijing International Airport, the new German Parliament and the new Hearst Headquarters in New York, Dallas has been stamped by one of the world’s greats – Lord Norman Foster.

Also visit:

Nasher Sculpture Center-The Art of Architecture Foster + Partners www.nashersculpturecenter.org

AT&T Performing Arts Center
www.dallasperformingarts.org

DMagazine
www.dmagazine.com

Foster + Partners
www.fosterandpartners.com