This design was so daring and progressive that it went beyond the engineering capabilities of the time. The distinguished feature of Utzon’s design was a roof that resembled a ship in full sail.

The ultimate winner was Danish architect Jorn Utzon. However, it was soon clear that the project would require a great deal of money, so a lottery was introduced.Īn international competition was held to find a design for the building. The then premier Joseph Cahill became very enthusiastic about the idea, so he set up a committee and established an appeal fund in order to finance the construction of an opera house. Although only completed in 1973, it is as representative of Australia as the Taj Mahal is of India and the Pyramids are of Egypt.īut, how did this masterpiece of architecture come into being? Back in the 1950s, a group of philanthropic citizens decided that Sydney needed a centre for the promotion of the performing arts. With its innovative high-tech, futuristic design, the project represented an architectural challenge which the Group successfully overcame with 6,500 sqm (70,000 sq ft) of custom made curtain wall.The Sydney Opera House is one of the world’s most recognizable sights and is photographed almost as often as the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building. The central bay - over 34 m (111.5 ft) high - is suspended without any intermediate supports. The Sydney Opera House was the first building in the world to use structural silicone and suspended vertical glass on a large scale. The final shape of the shells, inspired by the surface of a single imagined sphere, required complex design work demanding revolutionary engineering and building techniques in equal measure.

With its shimmering sails, this innovative building has come to define Sydney and even the nation of Australia itself. In 2007, this ambitious project was formally recognized as one of the most outstanding places on Earth with its inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Sydney Opera House, inaugurated in 1973 after more than 14 years of work, is one of the most important concert halls in the world.

Who designed sydney opera house