When planning the Winspear Opera House, we imagined an American opera house designed for the needs of 21st-century performance but inspired by the traditional European horseshoe form. While the 2,200-seat multi-purpose theatre at the heart of the building was optimized for opera, we designed the venue to be flexible enough to host musical theatre, ballet, touring acts, and community events. Our work began with a master planning study of the entire Dallas Arts District, eventually leading to the Winspear, the Wyly Theatre, and Sammons Park, which interconnects the two venues. The Winspear also features a multi-use flat floor event space equipped with staging, adjustable acoustics, theatre lighting, rigging, and audiovisual systems, which commonly hosts receptions, banquets, live music, films, and conferences. Beyond the main stage, the 200,000-square-foot venue is defined by transparency. A massive solar canopy shades the glass-walled foyer, blurring the line between indoor and outdoor spaces. With it’s elegance, intimacy, and effortless operability borne from an informed planning approach, the Winspear delivers a highly capable cultural touchstone on the Dallas skyline.