German Metro Station Turned Into a Shipping Container Opera!

Wouldn't it be nice to hear a beautiful, moving aria next time you emerge from the subway station? - and we don't mean the song that Crazy Bob sings asking for quarters. Well, if you visit the Eichbaum station in the Ruhr District between Mülheim and Essen, you might be able to do just that. German <a href="http://www.raumlabor-berlin.de/">architects from raumlaborberlin</a> have transformed the gritty metro stop, which is known for violence and vandalism, into an awesome <a href="http://www.eichbaumoper.de/wordpress/">open air opera house</a>! Composed (get it?) of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/index.php?s=shipping+container">shipping containers</a>, the "opera lodge" offers a place for the artists to work on their ideas, while the open air theatre uses elements of the actual station as a stage and seating for guests to enjoy the music.

The “Opernbauhütte,” or Opera Lodge is made from old <a href="http://inhabitat.com/index.php?s=shipping+container">shipping containers</a> and is a working space for the artists and residents of Eichbaumoper (Eichbaum Opera).

It sits perched right next to the open air theater and offers a lovely view of performances.

The sides of the lodge have been fitted with round porthole-style windows, letting daylight into the space.

A view of where the artists and performers formulate their ideas.

Below the lodge, a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/09/24/glowing-mobile-bars-are-an-upcycled-roving-party/">bar</a>, also made from a container, serves theatergoers libations.

The completed lodge after being painted to match the station.

Performances at Eichbaumoper typically utilize the whole station - beginning from inside the actual subway and traveling to the platform and then to the forecourt.

Performers even climb on top of the roof!

And since every show is meant to be accessible for everyone to see, the station is always left open to the public, so that passersby can catch the event too.

Although Eichbaumoper is envisioned as an <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/08/26/londons-jellyfish-theatre-made-from-pallets-opens-today/">opera house</a>, it's not limited to that purpose.

Several weekends ago, the station was transformed into an arena and organized a boxchampionship and rap-battle!

A model of Eichbaumoper.

The opera lodge all lit up.