Design of Gran Teatro Nacional in Lima—A world class opera house in South America

The design of Gran Teatro Nacional in Lima, Peru, started in 2009 as very special task. Peru needed a venue with world-class standards to host local and international events of opera, concerts, and ballet. The theater has a built area of about 26 000 m2 with 1500 seats capacity. It has a fully equipped fly tower with motorized winches, an 11 m tall acoustical shell, 4 double deck stage lifts, 2 orchestra lifts, and a pit for 100 players. The equipment complies with the most restrictive European standards. The acoustics oriented the design, from room shaping to its volume, from materiality to seats selection. The acoustical consultants assumed modified horseshoe plan to improved intimacy and three tier levels. The hall has two reverberation chambers and several acoustical banners to provide variability in the acoustical response of the hall. Computer modeling and physical model supported the design. Since the Gala Opening in 2012 the theater has been getting remarkable reviews from conductors, international orchestras, and artists in general. The theater complied with the mission of bringing a world class performing art center to Peru. The paper provides the history of the project, architectural, and construction details and acoustical data.