Cardiff Bay Opera House was an ill-fated project in the 1990s in Cardiff, Wales, conceived as a crucial part of the Cardiff Bay redevelopment project, one aim being the creation of a new home for the Welsh National Opera company, which was then based in Cardiff's small and unsuitable "New Theatre".
An international design competition, held in 1994, was won by Iraq-born architect Zaha Hadid. At this point the project descended into chaos.
The project was succeeded by the Wales Millennium Centre, which offered a broader range of artistic offerings and was more in keeping with Welsh culture, whilst retaining the opera element. The Centre opened in November 2004 to great international acclaim.