Architectural Fantasy: The Summoning of the Glasshouse Theatre

A project such as the Glasshouse Theatre does not simply appear, it is summoned. So declared Queensland Performing Arts Centre chief executive Rachel Healy at the theatre’s opening gala this month, announcing that the newest addition to Brisbane’s arts precinct had emerged as no longer “an architectural fantasy, but a reality”. And the $150-million Glasshouse Theatre, designed by Australia’s Blight Rayner Architecture in partnership with Snøhetta, is nothing short of fantastical; offering an audio/visual feast on a glassy and glittering architectural plate. In this time of seemingly ongoing crises, in which affordable homes slip out of reach and the cost of living casts a shadow over Australia and the wider world, it could (and has been) argued that spending on such an effervescent building is frivolous. But in the words of Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, “without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable”. The scale of backing—from government to private donors—suggests Queensland agrees. A coven to summon The Glasshouse Theatre was formed from 6000 cubic metres of concrete, 1500 tons of steel, 173m metres of glass, each panel of which weighs 2.4 tons, by 2500 workers who toiled for a million work hours on site. But such a project is more than the sum of its parts—conjuring a theatre is an act of will and passion. And delivering one with acoustics that allow you to hear the reverberation of a cello string from the nosebleeds is nothing short of spellbinding. ▲ The Glasshouse Theatre in Brisbane opened this month. For Blight Rayner director Michael Rayner, winning the contract for the theatre was career-defining, secured just three years after founding the practice in 2019. “There hadn’t been any major cultural projects in Brisbane since about 2001 when the Gallery of Modern Art was completed,” Rayner says. “So we knew this project could be one of the highlights of our career.” The project carried personal weight for Rayner’s partner Jason Blight too, whose son is a dancer with the Dutch Royal Ballet. “There is the thought that one day Jason’s son might be able to perform there, and it made it a personal passion project for us both,” Rayner says. ▲ Blight Rayner Architecture founders Michael Rayner and Jason Blight with Snøhetta Australasia managing director Gumji Kang. The partnership with Snøhetta was a long time coming, after Rayner met Snøhetta’s co-founder Kjetil Thorsen at a conference in 2012. For Snøhetta, fresh from completing Pridham Hall in 2018, the project offered a chance to embed itself further in Australia’s design landscape, Snøhetta Australasia managing director Gumji Kang says. “Naturally, Australia is a very collaborative country. That is not the case for every country in the world, and when this opportunity came up to further contribute to the architectural discourse in Australia, we took it,” she says. Fine-tuning the fantasy From Fish Lane to James Street, subtropical Brisbane has been developing its own style, and the Queensland Performing Arts Precinct has an expression all its own. Designed by Robin Gibson beginning in the 1970s, QPAC’s brutalist articulation has something of the Marmite about it; you either love it or you hate it. But it is one that acclaimed Sydney architect Harry Seidler later said was the “essence of good architecture ...not transient as in fashionable one day, not fashionable the next, but something for all time”. Kang says the team wanted to weave this heritage into the Glasshouse Theatre’s architectural language but also give the space an individual identity. ▲ The Glasshouse Theatre's glazed curtain exterior is inspired not only by the theatre itself but the nearby Brisbane River. “Where the brutalist expression of the building starts to meet internal spaces such as the foyer, it transitions to a softer timber, bringing a warmer tone into the auditorium spaces,” Kang says. That’s not to say Glasshouse Theatre is a rejection of this brutalism. “People perceive brutalism as something aggressive and almost hostile,” Kang says. “But it actually just means being authentic to that materiality, which is what the Gibson buildings do, and I hope we see a resurgence of brutalism because there’s a lot of merit in working with this materiality and celebrating it as much as possible.” A possible downside to QPAC’s brutalist presentation, however, is the distinctive divide between internal and external. “Our whole purpose was to give the building an active role in public life,” Rayner says. ▲ The architects aimed to make the theatre part of the surrounding streetscape. Flexible rehearsal spaces and public areas with glazing at ground levels mean the public can see inside from the street. “The glazed curtain was a nod to the Brisbane River but also theatre language, as we started this process of unveiling the building to provide a contrast to the brutalist, rigid form.” This thoughtfulness continues inside. Working with Acoustic Studios and theatre specialists Shuler Shook, the architects created what Rayner describes as a “tuneable instrument”. Adjustable battens behind perforated ironbark panels allow the 1500-seater theatre to physically adapt, reshaping sound and staging in real time. “So if you took the timber away for a moment, you would see what I consider a living organism.” Rayner says. A stage for a global city At the opening gala, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli listed successive governments since the 1970s that have overseen the precinct’s development—an exercise that, while laborious, underscored the Glasshouse Theatre as a testament to effective public–private collaboration. “Having a project like the Glasshouse Theatre in our portfolio is such a privilege,” Kang says. ▲ Snøhetta is also working on the Shanghai Grand Opera House that is due to open later this year. “But a project of this scale and calibre doesn’t happen without the sustained effort from such a big team which is dedicated from beginning to the end.” While Brisbane is hyperfocused on gearing up for the 2032 Olympics, the fifth venue in the QPAC precinct is not entirely distinct from those ambitions. “The focus is obviously on sports at the moment, but you’ve got a massive number of people coming to Brisbane for the Games, so to have a brand new, world-class theatre comparable with any other venue in the world, that’s going to be a major cultural attraction,” Rayner says. “For those people to come and then see us as a cultural force as well as a sporting force, that’s really important.” ▲ Brisbane's Glasshouse Theatre at night. Kang agrees, positioning the project within a global context as Snøhetta delivers the Shanghai Grand Opera House. “This project really signals Brisbane’s growing cultural ambition,” Kang says. “It’s opportune that both projects are opening this year, and telling that the Glasshouse Theatre stands with the Shanghai Opera House in civic importance and international cultural significance.” No longer an idea, the Glasshouse Theatre has proved to be a statement—that Brisbane is ready to perform.

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