Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House: Jørn Utzon- 1957.
Ask almost anybody anywhere in the world to suggest something they associated with Sydney and the answer is likely to be the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. Without doubt the two landmarks, in many people 's minds, define and epitomize Sydney. It is fair to suggest in fact that the harbour area of Sydney defines what would otherwise be a rather homogenous, dense, European type city. Devoid of the harbour area, what remains of the 4700 or so square miles of the city is a fairly generic and mediocre clutter of high rise building in the centre surrounded by a suburban sprawl as far as the eye can see. "On the ground what strikes the visitor is the dullness of the architecture bereft of its harbour, Sydney would be no more interesting than Finchley."
It is astounding that the only piece of architecture which has managed to live up and respond to its fantastic natural setting is Utzon 's Opera House. Flawed though it undoubtedly is, the beautifully tiled vaults and complex monumental base next to the botanical gardens has remained unchallenged in almost half a century of supposed architectural development and advances. What is it about Jørn Utzon 's building which has stood the test of time in the fickle world of architecture, securing its place as one of the defining public buildings of the 20th century?
The urban myths surrounding the Sydney Opera House are almost as well known as the finished article itself. Throughout the architectural world the story of Utzon and the beleaguered Opera house is something of architectural legend. A world wide competition was launched in December 1955 by the State Government of New South Wales for a Performing Arts Centre. A tempting brief with a generous timetable, open criteria and the spectacular and historically resonant site of Bennelong Point enticed over 930 architects to register and produced nearly 250 competition entries.
The emerging victor was a relatively
Ask almost anybody anywhere in the world to suggest something they associated with Sydney and the answer is likely to be the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. Without doubt the two landmarks, in many people 's minds, define and epitomize Sydney. It is fair to suggest in fact that the harbour area of Sydney defines what would otherwise be a rather homogenous, dense, European type city. Devoid of the harbour area, what remains of the 4700 or so square miles of the city is a fairly generic and mediocre clutter of high rise building in the centre surrounded by a suburban sprawl as far as the eye can see. "On the ground what strikes the visitor is the dullness of the architecture bereft of its harbour, Sydney would be no more interesting than Finchley."
It is astounding that the only piece of architecture which has managed to live up and respond to its fantastic natural setting is Utzon 's Opera House. Flawed though it undoubtedly is, the beautifully tiled vaults and complex monumental base next to the botanical gardens has remained unchallenged in almost half a century of supposed architectural development and advances. What is it about Jørn Utzon 's building which has stood the test of time in the fickle world of architecture, securing its place as one of the defining public buildings of the 20th century?
The urban myths surrounding the Sydney Opera House are almost as well known as the finished article itself. Throughout the architectural world the story of Utzon and the beleaguered Opera house is something of architectural legend. A world wide competition was launched in December 1955 by the State Government of New South Wales for a Performing Arts Centre. A tempting brief with a generous timetable, open criteria and the spectacular and historically resonant site of Bennelong Point enticed over 930 architects to register and produced nearly 250 competition entries.
The emerging victor was a relatively
Bibliography: Drew, P., Architecture in Detail; Sydney Opera House- Jørn Utzon (London: Phaidon Press Ltd., 1995). Weston, R., Utzon (Denmark: Edition Blondal., 2002). Journals Best, A., Une Histoire Inachevée (Architectural Review., 1998 Feb v.203 n.1212 p.27). Building (1973, Oct 19, v.225, n.42, p,99-103).