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Sydney Opera House

Location of Sydney Opera House in Sydney

General information

Status Complete

Type Concert hallArts centre

Architectural style Expressionist

Location Bennelong Point, Sydney

Country Australia

Coordinates 33°51′31.2″S 151°12′50.5″E

Elevation 4 m (13 ft)

Current tenants Opera AustraliaThe Australian BalletSydney Theatre CompanySydney SymphonyOrchestra(+ others)

Groundbreaking 1 March 1959

Construction started 1 March 1959

Completed 1973

Opening 20 October 1973

Inaugurated 20 October 1973

Cost A$102 million, equivalent to

~A$859 million in 2012[1]

Client NSW Government

Sydney Opera HouseFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Sydney Opera House is a multi­venue performing arts centre inSydney, New South Wales, Australia. Situated on Bennelong Point inSydney Harbour, close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the facility isadjacent to the Sydney central business district and the Royal BotanicGardens, between Sydney and Farm Coves.

Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the facility formally openedon 20 October 1973, by Queen Elizabeth II, with members of theBritish Royal family in attendance[3] after a gestation beginning withUtzon's 1957 selection as winner of an international designcompetition. The Government of New South Wales, led by thepremier, Joseph Cahill, authorised work to begin in 1958 with Utzondirecting construction. The government's decision to build Utzon'sdesign is often overshadowed by circumstances that followed,including cost and scheduling overruns as well as the architect'sultimate resignation.[4]

Though its name suggests a single venue, the project comprisesmultiple performance venues which together are among the busiestperforming arts centres in the world—hosting over 1,500 performanceseach year attended by some 1.2 million people. The venues produceand present a wide range of in­house productions and accommodatenumerous performing arts companies, including four key residentcompanies: Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, the Sydney TheatreCompany and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. As one of the mostpopular visitor attractions in Australia, more than seven million peoplevisit the site each year, with 300,000 people participating annually in aguided tour of the facility.[5][6]

Identified as one of the 20th century's most distinctive buildings andone of the most famous performing arts centres in the world,[7][8][9] thefacility is managed by the Sydney Opera House Trust, under theauspices of the New South Wales Ministry of the Arts. The SydneyOpera House became a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 28 June2007.[10]

Contents

1 Description1.1 Performance venues and facilities1.2 Other facilities

2 Construction history2.1 Origins2.2 Design and construction

2.2.1 Stage I: Podium2.2.2 Stage II: Roof2.2.3 Stage III: Interiors

2.3 Significant changes to Utzon's design2.4 Completion and cost

3 Jørn Utzon and his resignation

Coordinates: 33°51′31.2″S 151°12′50.5″E

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Owner NSW Government

Height 65 m (213 ft)

Dimensions

Other dimensions length 183 m (600 ft)width 120 m (394 ft)area 1.8 ha (4.4 acres)

Technical details

Structural system Concrete frame & precastconcrete ribbed roof

Design and construction

Architect Jørn Utzon

Structural engineer Ove Arup & Partners

Main contractor Civil & Civic (level 1), M.R.Hornibrook (level 2 and 3 andinterior)

Other information

Seating capacity Concert Hall 2,679Joan Sutherland Theatre1,507Drama Theatre 544Playhouse 398The Studio 400Utzon Room 210Total 5,738

Website

sydneyoperahouse.com (http://sydneyoperahouse.com)

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Type Cultural

Criteria i

Designated 2007 (31st session)

Reference no. 166rev(http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/166)

State Party Australia

Region Asia­Pacific

References

Coordinates[2]

Sydney Opera House showing ferryboat

4 Architectural design role of Peter Hall5 Opening6 Performance firsts7 Reconciliation with Utzon; building refurbishment8 Public and commemorative events9 Awards10 See also11 References12 Bibliography13 External links

Description

The facility features a modernexpressionist design, with aseries of large precast concrete"shells",[11] each composed ofsections of a sphere of 75.2metres (246 ft 8.6 in) radius,[12]forming the roofs of thestructure, set on a monumentalpodium. The building covers1.8 hectares (4.4 acres) of landand is 183 m (600 ft) long and120 m (394 ft) wide at itswidest point. It is supported on

588 concrete piers sunk as much as 25 m (82 ft) below sea level.

Although the roof structures are commonly referred to as "shells" (asin this article), they are precast concrete panels supported by precastconcrete ribs, not shells in a strictly structural sense.[13] Though theshells appear uniformly white from a distance, they actually feature asubtle chevron pattern composed of 1,056,006 tiles in two colours:glossy white and matte cream. The tiles were manufactured by theSwedish company Höganäs AB which generally produced stonewaretiles for the paper­mill industry.[14]

Apart from the tile of the shells and the glass curtain walls of the foyerspaces, the building's exterior is largely clad with aggregate panelscomposed of pink granite quarried at Tarana. Significant interiorsurface treatments also include off­form concrete, Australian whitebirch plywood supplied from Wauchope in northern New South Wales,and brush box glulam.[15]

Of the two larger spaces, the Concert Hall is in the western group ofshells, the Joan Sutherland Theatre in the eastern group. The scale ofthe shells was chosen to reflect the internal height requirements, with low entrance spaces, rising over the seating areas up tothe high stage towers. The smaller venues (the Drama Theatre, the Playhouse and the Studio) are within the podium, beneaththe Concert Hall. A smaller group of shells set to the western side of the Monumental Steps houses the Bennelong Restaurant.The podium is surrounded by substantial open public spaces, and the large stone­paved forecourt area with the adjacentmonumental steps is regularly used as a performance space.

Performance venues and facilities

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Bennelong Point with tram depot inthe 1920s (top left­hand side ofphotograph)

The Sydney Opera House includes a number of performance venues:[16]

Concert Hall: With 2,679 seats, the home of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and used by a large number of otherconcert presenters. It contains the Sydney Opera House Grand Organ, the largest mechanical tracker action organ in theworld, with over 10,000 pipes.[17]

Joan Sutherland Theatre: A proscenium theatre with 1,507 seats,[18] the Sydney home of Opera Australia and TheAustralian Ballet. Until 16 October 2012 it was known as the Opera Theatre.[19][20]Drama Theatre: A proscenium theatre with 544 seats, used by the Sydney Theatre Company and other dance andtheatrical presenters.Playhouse: An end­stage theatre with 398 seats.Studio: A flexible space with a maximum capacity of 400, depending on configuration.Utzon Room: A small multi­purpose venue, seating up to 210.Recording StudioOutdoor Forecourt: A flexible open­air venue with a wide range of configuration options, including the possibility ofutilising the Monumental Steps as audience seating, used for a range of community events and major outdoorperformances. The Forecourt will be closed to visitors and performances in 2011–2014 to construct a new entrancetunnel to a rebuilt loading dock for the Joan Sutherland Theatre.

Other areas (for example the northern and western foyers) are also used for performances on an occasional basis. Venues arealso used for conferences, ceremonies and social functions.

Other facilities

The building also houses a recording studio, cafes, restaurants, bars and retail outlets. Guided tours are available, including afrequent tour of the front­of­house spaces, and a daily backstage tour that takes visitors backstage to see areas normallyreserved for performers and crew members.

Interior of the Concert Hall

Construction history

Origins

Planning began in the late 1940s, when Eugene Goossens, the Director of the NSWState Conservatorium of Music, lobbied for a suitable venue for large theatricalproductions. The normal venue for such productions, the Sydney Town Hall, was notconsidered large enough. By 1954, Goossens succeeded in gaining the support ofNSW Premier Joseph Cahill, who called for designs for a dedicated opera house. Itwas also Goossens who insisted that Bennelong Point be the site: Cahill had wanted itto be on or near Wynyard Railway Station in the northwest of the CBD.[21]

An international design competition was launched by Cahill on 13 September 1955and received 233 entries, representing architects from 32 countries. The criteriaspecified a large hall seating 3,000 and a small hall for 1,200 people, each to bedesigned for different uses, including full­scale operas, orchestral and choral concerts,mass meetings, lectures, ballet performances and other presentations.[22]

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Construction progress in 1966

Construction progress in 1968

The winner, announced in 1957, was Jørn Utzon, a Danish architect. According tolegend the Utzon design was rescued from a final cut of 30 "rejects" by the notedFinnish American architect Eero Saarinen. The prize was £5,000.[23] Utzon visitedSydney in 1957 to help supervise the project.[24] His office moved to Palm Beach,Sydney in February 1963.[25]

Utzon received the Pritzker Architecture Prize, architecture's highest honour, in2003.[26] The Pritzker Prize citation read:

There is no doubt that the Sydney Opera House is his masterpiece. It isone of the great iconic buildings of the 20th century, an image of greatbeauty that has become known throughout the world – a symbol for notonly a city, but a whole country and continent.

Design and construction

The Fort Macquarie Tram Depot, occupying the site at the time of these plans, was demolished in 1958 and constructionbegan in March 1959. It was built in three stages: stage I (1959–1963) consisted of building the upper podium; stage II (1963–1967) the construction of the outer shells; stage III (1967–1973) interior design and construction.

Stage I: Podium

Stage I commenced on 2 March 1959 with the construction firm Civil & Civic, monitored by the engineers Ove Arup andPartners.[27] The government had pushed for work to begin early, fearing that funding, or public opinion, might turn againstthem. However, Utzon had still not completed the final designs. Major structural issues still remained unresolved. By 23January 1961, work was running 47 weeks behind,[27] mainly because of unexpected difficulties (inclement weather,unexpected difficulty diverting stormwater, construction beginning before proper construction drawings had been prepared,changes of original contract documents). Work on the podium was finally completed in February 1963. The forced early startled to significant later problems, not least of which was the fact that the podium columns were not strong enough to supportthe roof structure, and had to be re­built.[28]

Stage II: Roof

The shells of the competition entry were originally of undefined geometry,[29] but,early in the design process, the "shells" were perceived as a series of parabolassupported by precast concrete ribs. However, engineers Ove Arup and Partners wereunable to find an acceptable solution to constructing them. The formwork for using in­situ concrete would have been prohibitively expensive, and, because there was norepetition in any of the roof forms, the construction of precast concrete for eachindividual section would possibly have been even more expensive.

From 1957 to 1963, the design team went through at least 12 iterations of the form ofthe shells trying to find an economically acceptable form (including schemes withparabolas, circular ribs and ellipsoids) before a workable solution was completed. The design work on the shells involved oneof the earliest uses of computers in structural analysis, to understand the complex forces to which the shells would besubjected.[30] The computer system was also used in the assembly of the arches. The pins in the arches were surveyed at theend of each day, and the information was entered into the computer so the next arch could be properly placed the followingday. In mid­1961, the design team found a solution to the problem: the shells all being created as sections from a sphere. Thissolution allows arches of varying length to be cast in a common mould, and a number of arch segments of common length tobe placed adjacent to one another, to form a spherical section. With whom exactly this solution originated has been the subjectof some controversy. It was originally credited to Utzon. Ove Arup's letter to Ashworth, a member of the Sydney OperaHouse Executive Committee, states: "Utzon came up with an idea of making all the shells of uniform curvature throughout in

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Sydney Opera House shell ribs

The glazed ceramic tiles of theSydney Opera House

The Concert Hall and organ

both directions."[31] Peter Jones, the author of Ove Arup's biography, states that "thearchitect and his supporters alike claimed to recall the precise eureka moment ... ; theengineers and some of their associates, with equal conviction, recall discussion in bothcentral London and at Ove's house."

He goes on to claim that "the existing evidence shows that Arup's canvassed severalpossibilities for the geometry of the shells, from parabolas to ellipsoids andspheres."[30] Yuzo Mikami, a member of the design team, presents an opposite view inhis book on the project, Utzon's Sphere.[32][33] It is unlikely that the truth will ever becategorically known, but there is a clear consensus that the design team worked verywell indeed for the first part of the project and that Utzon, Arup, and Ronald Jenkins(partner of Ove Arup and Partners responsible for the Opera House project) all playeda very significant part in the design development.[34]

As Peter Murray states in The Saga of the Sydney Opera House:[28]

... the two men—and their teams—enjoyed a collaboration that wasremarkable in its fruitfulness and, despite many traumas, was seen bymost of those involved in the project as a high point of architect/engineercollaboration.

The design of the roof was tested on scale models in wind tunnels at SouthamptonUniversity and later NPL in order to establish the wind­pressure distribution around the roof shape in very high winds, whichhelped in the design of the roof tiles and their fixtures.[35][36]

The shells were constructed by Hornibrook Group Pty Ltd,[37] who were also responsible for construction in Stage III.Hornibrook manufactured the 2400 precast ribs and 4000 roof panels in an on­site factory and also developed the constructionprocesses.[28] The achievement of this solution avoided the need for expensive formwork construction by allowing the use ofprecast units (it also allowed the roof tiles to be prefabricated in sheets on the ground, instead of being stuck on individually atheight). Ove Arup and Partners' site engineer supervised the construction of the shells, which used an innovative adjustablesteel­trussed "erection arch" to support the different roofs before completion. On 6 April 1962, it was estimated that the OperaHouse would be completed between August 1964 and March 1965.

Stage III: Interiors

Stage III, the interiors, started with Utzon moving his entire office to Sydney inFebruary 1963. However, there was a change of government in 1965, and the newRobert Askin government declared the project under the jurisdiction of the Ministry ofPublic Works. This ultimately led to Utzon's resignation in 1966 (see below).

The cost of the project so far, even in October 1966, was still only $22.9 million,[38]less than a quarter of the final $102 million cost. However, the projected costs for thedesign were at this stage much more significant.

The second stage of construction was progressing toward completion when Utzonresigned. His position was principally taken over by Peter Hall, who became largelyresponsible for the interior design. Other persons appointed that same year to replaceUtzon were E. H. Farmer as government architect, D. S. Littlemore and Lionel Todd.

Following Utzon's resignation, the acoustic advisor, Lothar Cremer, confirmed to the Sydney Opera House ExecutiveCommittee (SOHEC) that Utzon's original acoustic design allowed for only 2000 seats in the main hall and further stated thatincreasing the number of seats to 3000 as specified in the brief would be disastrous for the acoustics. According to Peter

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View from the stage of the ConcertHall.

View from the stage of the The JoanSutherland Theatre.

Interior of the Studio Theatre.

The foyer of the Joan SutherlandTheatre, showing the internalstructure and steel framing of theglass curtain walls; the finalconstructions were modified fromUtzon's original designs

Jones, the stage designer, Martin Carr, criticised the "shape, height and width of the stage, the physical facilities for artists, thelocation of the dressing rooms, the widths of doors and lifts, and the location of lighting switchboards."[39]

Significant changes to Utzon's design

The major hall, which was originally to be a multipurpose opera/concert hall, became solely a concert hall, called theConcert Hall. The minor hall, originally for stage productions only, incorporatedopera and ballet functions and was called the Opera Theatre, later renamed theJoan Sutherland Theatre. As a result, the Joan Sutherland Theatre is inadequateto stage large­scale opera and ballet. A theatre, a cinema and a library were alsoadded. These were later changed to two live drama theatres and a smaller theatre"in the round". These now comprise the Drama Theatre, the Playhouse and theStudio respectively. These changes were primarily because of inadequacies inthe original competition brief, which did not make it adequately clear how theOpera House was to be used. The layout of the interiors was changed, and thestage machinery, already designed and fitted inside the major hall, was pulledout and largely thrown away, as detailed in the 1968 BBC TV documentaryAutopsy on a Dream, which "chronicles the full spectrum of controversysurrounding the construction of the Sydney Opera House".[40]Externally, the cladding to the podium and the paving (the podium wasoriginally not to be clad down to the water, but to be left open).The construction of the glass walls (Utzon was planning to use a system ofprefabricated plywood mullions, but a different system was designed to dealwith the glass).Utzon's plywood corridor designs, and his acoustic and seating designs for theinterior of both major halls, were scrapped completely. His design for theConcert Hall was rejected as it only seated 2000, which was consideredinsufficient.[30] Utzon employed the acoustic consultant Lothar Cremer, and hisdesigns for the major halls were later modelled and found to be very good. Thesubsequent Todd, Hall and Littlemore versions of both major halls have someproblems with acoustics, particularly for the performing musicians. Theorchestra pit in the Joan Sutherland Theatre is cramped and dangerous tomusicians' hearing.[41] The Concert Hall has a very high roof, leading to a lackof early reflections onstage—perspex rings (the "acoustic clouds") hanging overthe stage were added shortly before opening in an (unsuccessful) attempt toaddress this problem.

Completion and cost

The Opera House was formally completed in 1973, having cost $102 million.[42] H.R."Sam" Hoare, the Hornibrook director in charge of the project, provided the followingapproximations in 1973: Stage I: podium Civil & Civic Pty Ltd approximately $5.5m.Stage II: roof shells M.R. Hornibrook (NSW) Pty Ltd approximately $12.5m. StageIII: completion The Hornibrook Group $56.5m. Separate contracts: stage equipment,stage lighting and organ $9.0m. Fees and other costs: $16.5m.

The original cost and scheduling estimates in 1957 projected a cost of £3,500,000($7 million) and completion date of 26 January 1963 (Australia Day).[30] In actuality,the project was completed ten years late and 1,457% over budget in real terms.

Jørn Utzon and his resignation

Before the Sydney Opera House competition, Jørn Utzon had won seven of the 18competitions he had entered but had never seen any of his designs built.[43] Utzon'ssubmitted concept for the Sydney Opera House was almost universally admired andconsidered groundbreaking. The Assessors Report of January 1957, stated:

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View of the Opera House from theHarbour Bridge

The building illuminated at night

The Opera House seen from the north

The drawings submitted for this scheme are simple to the point of beingdiagrammatic. Nevertheless, as we have returned again and again to thestudy of these drawings, we are convinced that they present a concept ofan Opera House which is capable of becoming one of the great buildingsof the world.

For the first stage, Utzon worked successfully with the rest of the design team and theclient, but, as the project progressed, the Cahill government insisted on progressiverevisions. They also did not fully appreciate the costs or work involved in design andconstruction. Tensions between the client and the design team grew further when anearly start to construction was demanded despite an incomplete design. This resultedin a continuing series of delays and setbacks while various technical engineeringissues were being refined. The building was unique, and the problems with the designissues and cost increases were exacerbated by commencement of work before thecompletion of the final plans.

After the 1965 election of the Liberal Party, with Robert Askin becoming Premier ofNew South Wales, the relationship of client, architect, engineers and contractorsbecame increasingly tense. Askin had been a "vocal critic of the project prior togaining office."[44] His new Minister for Public Works, Davis Hughes, was even less sympathetic. Elizabeth Farrelly,Australian architecture critic, has written that:

at an election night dinner party in Mosman, Hughes' daughter Sue Burgoyne boasted that her father would soonsack Utzon. Hughes had no interest in art, architecture or aesthetics. A fraud, as well as a philistine, he had beenexposed before Parliament and dumped as Country Party leader for 19 years of falsely claiming a universitydegree. The Opera House gave Hughes a second chance. For him, as for Utzon, it was all about control; about thetriumph of homegrown mediocrity over foreign genius.[44]

Differences ensued. One of the first was that Utzon believed the clients should receiveinformation on all aspects of the design and construction through his practice, whilethe clients wanted a system (notably drawn in sketch form by Davis Hughes) wherearchitect, contractors, and engineers each reported to the client directly and separately.This had great implications for procurement methods and cost control, with Utzonwishing to negotiate contracts with chosen suppliers (such as Ralph Symonds for theplywood interiors) and the New South Wales government insisting contracts be put outto tender.[28]

Utzon was highly reluctant to respond to questions or criticism from the client'sSydney Opera House Executive Committee (SOHEC).[45] However, he was greatly

supported throughout by a member of the committee and one of the original competition judges, Harry Ingham Ashworth.Utzon was unwilling to compromise on some aspects of his designs that the clients wanted to change.

Utzon's ability was never in doubt, despite questions raised by Davis Hughes, who attempted to portray Utzon as animpractical dreamer. Ove Arup actually stated that Utzon was "probably the best of any I have come across in my longexperience of working with architects"[46] and: "The Opera House could become the world's foremost contemporarymasterpiece if Utzon is given his head."

In October 1965, Utzon gave Hughes a schedule setting out the completion dates of parts of his work for stage III. Utzon wasat this time working closely with Ralph Symonds, a manufacturer of plywood based in Sydney and highly regarded by many,despite an Arup engineer warning that Ralph Symonds's "knowledge of the design stresses of plywood, was extremelysketchy" and that the technical advice was "elementary to say the least and completely useless for our purposes." Australianarchitecture critic Elizabeth Farrelly has referred to Ove Arup's project engineer Michael Lewis as having "other agendas".[44]

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The Opera House, backed by theSydney Harbour Bridge, from theeastern Botanic Gardens

The Opera House seen from TheRocks

The Sydney Opera House duringVivid Sydney (2013).

In any case, Hughes shortly after withheld permission for the construction of plywood prototypes for the interiors, and therelationship between Utzon and the client never recovered. By February 1966, Utzon was owed more than $100,000 infees.[47] Hughes then withheld funding so that Utzon could not even pay his own staff. The government minutes record thatfollowing several threats of resignation, Utzon finally stated to Davis Hughes: "If you don't do it, I resign." Hughes replied: "Iaccept your resignation. Thank you very much. Goodbye."[48]

Utzon left the project on 28 February 1966. He said that Hughes's refusal to pay himany fees and the lack of collaboration caused his resignation and later famouslydescribed the situation as "Malice in Blunderland". In March 1966, Hughes offeredhim a subordinate role as "design architect" under a panel of executive architects,without any supervisory powers over the House's construction, but Utzon rejected this.Utzon left the country never to return.

Following the resignation, there was great controversy about who was in the right andwho was in the wrong. The Sydney Morning Herald initially opined: "No architect inthe world has enjoyed greater freedom than Mr Utzon. Few clients have been morepatient or more generous than the people and the Government of NSW. One would notlike history to record that this partnership was brought to an end by a fit of temper onthe one side or by a fit of meanness on the other." On 17 March 1966, the Heraldoffered the view that:[49] "It was not his [Utzon's] fault that a succession ofGovernments and the Opera House Trust should so signally have failed to impose anycontrol or order on the project .... his concept was so daring that he himself could solveits problems only step by step .... his insistence on perfection led him to alter hisdesign as he went along."

The Sydney Opera House opened the way for the immensely complex geometries ofsome modern architecture. The design was one of the first examples of the use ofcomputer­aided design to design complex shapes. The design techniques developed byUtzon and Arup for the Sydney Opera House have been further developed and are nowused for architecture, such as works of Gehry and blobitecture, as well as mostreinforced concrete structures. The design is also one of the first in the world to usearaldite to glue the precast structural elements together and proved the concept forfuture use.

It was also a first in mechanical engineering. Another Danish firm, Steensen Varming,was responsible for designing the new air­conditioning plant, the largest in Australia atthe time, supplying over 600,000 cubic feet (17,000 m3) of air per minute,[50] using theinnovative idea of harnessing the harbour water to create a water­cooled heat pumpsystem that is still in operation today.[51]

Architectural design role of Peter Hall

After the resignation of Utzon, the Minister for Public Works, Davis Hughes, and the Government Architect, Ted Farmer,organised a team to bring the Sydney Opera House to completion. The architectural work was divided between threeappointees who became the Hall, Todd, Littlemore partnership. David Littlemore would manage construction supervision,Lionel Todd contract documentation, while the crucial role of design became the responsibility of Peter Hall.[52]

Peter Hall (1931­1995) completed a combined arts and architecture degree at Sydney University. Upon graduation a travelscholarship enabled him to spend twelve months in Europe during which time he visited Utzon in Hellebæk.[53] Returning toSydney, Hall worked for the Government Architect, a branch of the NSW Public Works Department. While there heestablished himself as a talented design architect with a number of court and university buildings, including the GoldsteinHall at the University of New South Wales, which won the Sir John Sulman Medal in 1964.

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Tourists observing the Opera House.

Hall resigned from the Government Architects office in early 1966 to pursue his own practice. When approached to take onthe design role, (after at least two prominent Sydney architects had declined), Hall spoke with Utzon by phone beforeaccepting the position. Utzon reportedly told Hall: he (Hall) would not be able to finish the job and the Government wouldhave to invite him back.[54] Hall also sought the advice of others, including architect Don Gazzard who warned himacceptance would be a bad career move as the project would "never be his own".[55]

Hall agreed to accept the role on the condition there was no possibility of Utzon returning. Even so, his appointment did notgo down well with many of his fellow architects who considered that no one but Utzon should complete the Sydney OperaHouse.[53] Upon Utzon's dismissal, a rally of protest had marched to Bennelong Point. A petition was also circulated,including in the Government Architects office. Peter Hall was one of the many who had signed the petition that called forUtzon's reinstatement.[53]

When Hall agreed to the design role and was appointed in April 1966, he imagined he would find the design anddocumentation for the Stage III well advanced. What he found was an enormous amount of work ahead of him with manyaspects completely unresolved by Utzon in relation to seating capacity, acoustics and structure.[56] In addition Hall found theproject had proceeded for nine years without the development of a concise client brief. To bring himself up to speed, Hallinvestigated concert and opera venues overseas and engaged stage consultant Ben Schlange and acoustic consultant WilhelmJordan, while establishing his team. In consultation with all the potential building users the first Review of Program wascompleted in January 1967. The most significant conclusion reached by Hall was that concert and opera were incompatible inthe same hall.[57] Although Utzon had sketched ideas using plywood for the great enclosing glass walls their structuralviability was unresolved when Hall took on the design role.[58] With the ability to delegate tasks and effectively coordinate thework of consultants, Hall guided the project for over five years until the opening day in 1973.

A former Government Architect, Peter Webber, in his book Peter Hall: the Phantom of the Opera House, concludes: whenUtzon resigned no one was better qualified (than Hall) to rise to the challenge of completing the design of the OperaHouse.[59]

Opening

The Sydney Opera House was formally opened by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on20 October 1973. A large crowd attended. Utzon was not invited to the ceremony, norwas his name mentioned. The opening was televised and included fireworks and aperformance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.[60]

Performance firsts

During the construction phrase, lunchtime performances were often arranged for theworkers, with American vocalist Paul Robeson the first artist to perform, in 1960.

Various performances were presented prior to the official opening:

The first solo piano recital was in the Concert Hall on 10 April 1973, played by Romola Costantino to an invitedaudience.[61]The first opera performed was Sergei Prokofiev's War and Peace, in what was then known as the Opera Theatre on 28September 1973, conducted by the Australian Opera's Music Director, Edward Downes. (It had been intended that PeterSculthorpe's work Rites of Passage would have this honour, but it was not ready on time. Rites of Passage waspremiered almost exactly a year later, on 27 September 1974)The first evening performance of an opera was Larry Sitsky's The Fall of the House of Usher, conducted by RexHobcroft.[62]The first public concert in the Concert Hall took place on 29 September 1973. It was an all­Wagner orchestral concertperformed by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Charles Mackerras and with Birgit Nilsson as the sopranosoloist. The first music played was the Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. The concert closed with theImmolation Scene from Götterdämmerung.

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The Utzon Room: rebuilt andredecorated to a design by Utzon

After the opening:

The first violin and piano recital was given by Wanda Wiłkomirska, with pianist Geoffrey Parsons.[63]

Reconciliation with Utzon; building refurbishment

In the late 1990s, the Sydney Opera House Trust resumed communication with Utzonin an attempt to effect a reconciliation and to secure his involvement in future changesto the building. In 1999, he was appointed by the Trust as a design consultant forfuture work.[64]

In 2004, the first interior space rebuilt to an Utzon design was opened, and renamed"The Utzon Room" in his honour.[65] In April 2007, he proposed a majorreconstruction of the Opera Theatre, as it was then known.[66] Utzon died on 29November 2008.

A state memorial service, attended by Utzon's son Jan and daughter Lin, celebratinghis creative genius, was held in the Concert Hall on 25 March 2009 featuringperformances, readings and recollections from prominent figures in the Australianperforming arts scene.

Refurbished Western Foyers and Accessibility improvements were commissioned on 17 November 2009, the largest buildingproject completed since Utzon was re­engaged in 1999. Designed by Utzon and his son Jan, the project provided improvedticketing, toilet and cloaking facilities. New escalators and a public lift enabled enhanced access for the disabled and familieswith prams. The prominent paralympian athlete Louise Sauvage was announced as the building's "accessibility ambassador"to advise on further improvements to aid people with disabilities.[67]

Public and commemorative events

In 1993, Constantine Koukias was commissioned by the Sydney Opera House Trust in association with REM Theatre tocompose Icon, a large­scale music theatre piece for the 20th anniversary of the Sydney Opera House.

During the 2000 Summer Olympics, the venue served as the focal point for the triathlon events. The event had a 1.5 km(0.9 mi) swimming loop at Farm Cove, along with competitions in the neighbouring Royal Botanical Gardens for the cyclingand running portions of the event.[68] In 2012, Louise Herron was appointed as the first female Chief Executive Officer of theSydney Opera House in its history.

The Sydney Opera House sails formed a graphic projection­screen in a lightshow mounted in connection with theInternational Fleet Review in Sydney Harbour on 5 October 2013.[69]

On 31 December 2013, the venue's 40th anniversary year, a New Year firework display was mounted for the first time in adecade.[70]

AwardsRAIA Merit Award, 1974.Meritorious Lighting Award of the Illuminating Engineering Society of Australia, 1974.RAIA Civic Design Award, 1980.RAIA Commemorative Award, Jørn Utzon ­ Sydney Opera House, 1992.

See also

Australian landmarksList of official openings by Elizabeth II in Australia

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Wonders of the WorldAuditorio de Tenerife – a modern structure in Spain with a similar designLotus Temple – a modern structure in India with a similar designClyde Auditorium ­ a modern structure in Scotland with a visually similar design

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Official Site.4. Tobias Faber "Jørn Utzon" (https://www.kulturarv.dk/kid/VisWeilbach.do?kunstnerId=11159&wsektion=alle), Kunstindekx Danmark& Weilbachskunstnerleksikon. (Danish) Retrieved 18 September 2011.

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18. [1] (http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/uploadedFiles/Tiles/Text/JST%20­%20Technical%20Specifications%20as%20of%20Jan%202013.pdf) JST Technical Specifications as of Jan 2013, p. 5

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20. "Opera House theatre to be renamed after Sutherland" (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012­10­16/opera­theatre­to­be­named­after­famous­soprano/4315292). Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 17 October 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2012.

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Bibliography

Duek­Cohen, Elias, Utzon and the Sydney Opera House, Morgan Publications, Sydney, 1967–1998. (A smallpublication intended to gather public opinion to bring Utzon back to the project.)Hubble, Ava, The Strange Case of Eugene Goossens and Other Tales from The Opera House, Collins Publishers,Australia, 1988. (Ava Hubble was Press Officer for the Sydney Opera House for 15 years.)Stübe, Katarina and Utzon, Jan, Sydney Opera House: A Tribute to Jørn Utzon. Reveal Books, 2009. ISBN 978­0­9806123­0­1Stuber, Fritz, "Sydney's Opera House—Not a World Heritage Item? – Open letter to the Hon. John W. Howard, PrimeMinister", in: Australian Planner (Sydney), Vol. 35, No. 3, 1998 (p. 116); Architecture + Design (New Delhi), Vol.XV, No. 5, 1998 (pp. 12–14); Collage (Berne), No. 3, 1998, (pp. 33–34, 1 ill.).Drew, Philip, "The Masterpiece: Jørn Utzon: a secret life", Hardie Grant Books, 1999, ISBN 1864980478.Opera House an architectural "tragedy", ABC News Online, 28 April 2005.(http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200504/s1355304.htm)Murray, Peter "The Saga of Sydney Opera House: The Dramatic Story of the Design and Construction of the Icon ofModern Australia", Publisher Taylor & Francis, 2004, ISBN 0415325226, 9780415325226Watson, Anne (editor), "Building a Masterpiece: The Sydney Opera House", Lund Humphries, 2006, ISBN 0­85331­941­3, ISBN 978­0­85331­941­2.Woolley, Ken, Reviewing the performance : the design of the Sydney Opera House, The Watermark Press, 2010, ISBN9780949284921.Webber, Peter, "Peter Hall: The Phantom of the Opera House", The Watermark Press, 2012, ISBN 978­0­949284­95­2.Watson, Anne, ed. (2013). Building a Masterpiece ­ The Sydney Opera House ­ Lessons in Space and Environment(40th Anniversary Edition) (Hardback). Sydney: Powerhouse Publishing. ISBN 978­1­86317­152­6.ABC, The Opera House Project, http://theoperahouseproject.com/ie/default.htm

External links

Official website (http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com)World heritage listing for Sydney Opera House(http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/166) At unesco.org, 2007Photographs of the construction (http://image.sl.nsw.gov.au/cgi­bin/ebindshow.pl?doc=on122/a270)Competition drawings submitted by Jørn Utzon to the Opera House Committee(http://gallery.records.nsw.gov.au/index.php/galleries/sydney­opera­house/sydney­opera­house­drawings/)Wolanski Foundation's annotated bibliography of sources on Sydney Opera House(http://www.twf.org.au/search/soh1.html)Architect Matt Taylor's response to the building(http://www.matttaylor.com/public/papers_10/sydney/sydney_opera_house.htm)Listen to an excerpt from the 'Sydney Opera House Opening Concert' and read more about it on australianscreen online(http://aso.gov.au/titles/music/sydney­opera­house­opening/)The Edge of the Possible Documentary film with Jørn Utzon (http://filmartmedia.com/?p=419) at filmartmedia.com, 21September 2011Autopsy On a Dream – the making of the Sydney Opera House (http://www.abc.net.au/arts/blog/arts­desk/Autopsy­on­a­Dream­Sydney­Opera­House­131015/default.htm) at ABC Arts News 17 October 2013Timeline: 40 years of the Sydney Opera House (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013­10­20/40­years­of­the­sydney­opera­house/5025816) at ABC News 22 October 2013

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Categories: World Heritage Sites in Australia Sydney Opera House Music venues completed in 1973Theatres completed in 1973 2000 Summer Olympic venues Olympic triathlon venues Concrete shell structuresConcert halls in Australia Expressionist architecture Modernist architecture in Australia Music venues in SydneyGovernment agencies of New South Wales Ove Arup buildings and structures Visitor attractions in SydneyTheatres in Sydney Sydney New Year's Eve Ballet venues Australian National Heritage List1973 establishments in Australia Jørn Utzon buildings Buildings and structures completed in 1973

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