Origins of the project Site selection (foreground)|left Planning began in the late 1940s when
Eugene Goossens, the Chief Conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Director of the
New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music, lobbied for a suitable venue for opera and orchestral performance. The Sydney Symphony Orchestra's performance home, the
Sydney Town Hall, was not considered large enough. By 1954, Goossens succeeded in gaining the support of New South Wales Premier
Joseph Cahill, who called for designs for a dedicated opera house. It was also Goossens who insisted that Bennelong Point be the site: Cahill had wanted it to be on or near
Wynyard railway station in the northwest of the
central business district.
Architecture competition 1955–1957 An international
design competition with a grand prize of 5,000
Australian pounds was launched by Cahill on 13 September 1955 and received 233 entries, representing architects from 32 countries. The criteria specified a large hall seating 3,000 and a small hall for 1,200 people, each to be designed for different uses, including full-scale operas, orchestral and choral concerts, mass meetings, lectures, ballet performances, and other presentations. 's initial sketches in 1957 The jury for the competition were: Professor Henry Ashworth (
University of Sydney), Cobden Parkes (
New South Wales Government Architect); Professor
Leslie Martin (Professor of Architecture of
Cambridge University and architect of
Royal Festival Hall 1951) and Finnish-American architect
Eero Saarinen. The winner, announced in Sydney on 29 January 1957, Utzon's design was inspired by natural shapes, most notably those of bird wings, clouds, shells, walnuts, rivers and palm leaves. The runner-up was a
Philadelphia-based team assembled by
Robert Geddes and George Qualls, both teaching at the
University of Pennsylvania School of Design. They brought together a band of Penn faculty and friends from Philadelphia architectural offices, including Melvin Brecher, Warren Cunningham, Joseph Marzella, Walter Wiseman, and Leon Loschetter. Geddes, Brecher, Qualls, and Cunningham went on to found the firm GBQC Architects. Utzon visited Sydney in 1957 to help supervise the project. His office moved to
Palm Beach, Sydney in February 1963. Utzon received the
Pritzker Architecture Prize, architecture's highest honour, in 2003. The Pritzker Prize citation read:
Design development and construction timeline Preparation of site The
Fort Macquarie Tram Depot, occupying the site on the original
Fort Macquarie at the time of these plans, was demolished in 1958 and construction began in March 1959. The Opera House was built in four stages: stage I (1957–1959) was planning out the building; stage II (1959–1963) consisted of building the upper podium; stage III (1963–1967) the construction of the outer shells, based upon the image of whales breaching the water; stage IV (1967–1973) interior design and construction.
Stage I: Podium Stage I started on 2 March 1959 with the construction firm
Civil & Civic, monitored by the engineers
Ove Arup & Partners. The government had pushed for work to begin early, fearing that funding, or public opinion, might turn against them. But Utzon had still not completed the final designs. Major structural issues still remained unresolved. By 23 January 1961, work was running 47 weeks behind,
Stage II: Roof File:SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE under construction and ferries including BELLUBERA and KARINGAL 1962.tif|Podium structure complete, 1962 File:SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE under construction 1965.tif|Shells structure, File:SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE under construction circa 1965.tif|Roof and shell structure, File:Sydney Opera House construction 1968.jpg|Tiles complete, The
shells of the competition entry were originally of undefined geometry, but, early in the design process, the "shells" were perceived as a series of
parabolas supported by precast concrete ribs. However, Ove Arup & Partners were unable to find an acceptable solution to constructing them. The
formwork for using
in-situ concrete would have been prohibitively expensive, and, because there was no repetition in any of the roof forms, the construction of precast concrete for each individual section would possibly have been even more expensive. From 1957 to 1963, the design team went through at least 12 iterations of the form of the shells trying to find an economically acceptable form (including schemes with parabolas, circular ribs and
ellipsoids) before a workable solution was completed. The design work on the shells involved one of the earliest uses of computers in
structural analysis, to understand the complex forces to which the shells would be subjected. The computer system was also used in the assembly of the arches. The pins in the arches were surveyed at the end of each day, and the information was entered into the computer so the next arch could be properly placed the following day. In mid-1961, the design team found a solution to the problem: the shells all being created as sections from a sphere. This solution allows arches of varying length to be cast in a common mould, and a number of arch segments of common length to be placed adjacent to one another, to form a spherical section. With whom exactly this solution originated has been the subject of some controversy. It was originally credited to Utzon. Ove Arup's letter to Ashworth, a member of the Sydney Opera House Executive Committee, states: "Utzon came up with an idea of making all the shells of uniform curvature throughout in both directions." Peter Jones, the author of Ove Arup's biography, states that "the architect and his supporters alike claimed to recall the precise
eureka moment ...; the engineers and some of their associates, with equal conviction, recall discussion in both central London and at Ove's house." He goes on to claim that "the existing evidence shows that Arup's canvassed several possibilities for the geometry of the shells, from parabolas to ellipsoids and spheres." It is unlikely that the truth will ever be categorically known, but there is a clear consensus that the design team worked very well 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 played a very significant part in the design development. As
Peter Murray states in
The Saga of the Sydney Opera House: The immensely complex design and construction of the shells was completed by
Hornibrook, who were also responsible for construction in Stage III. Hornibrook manufactured the 2400 precast ribs and 4000 roof panels in an on-site factory and also developed the construction processes. Ove Arup and Partners' site engineer supervised the construction of the shells, which used an innovative adjustable steel-trussed "erection arch" (developed by Hornibrook's engineer
Joe Bertony) to support the different roofs before completion. along with their impression of Utzon's designs being impractical, this ultimately led to his resignation in 1966 (see below). The cost of the project so far, even in October 1966, was still only
A$22.9 million, less than a quarter of the final $102 million cost. However, the projected costs for the design were at this stage much more significant. The second stage of construction was progressing toward completion when Utzon resigned. His position was principally taken over by
Peter Hall, who became largely responsible for the interior design. Other persons appointed that same year to replace Utzon 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 Executive Committee (SOHEC) that Utzon's original acoustic design allowed for only 2,000 seats in the main hall and further stated that increasing the number of seats to 3,000 as specified in the
brief would be disastrous for the acoustics. According to Peter Jones, the stage designer, Martin Carr, criticised the "shape, height and width of the stage, the physical facilities for artists, the location of the dressing rooms, the widths of doors and lifts, and the location of lighting switchboards."
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 the Concert Hall. The minor hall, originally for stage productions only, incorporated opera and ballet functions and was called the Opera Theatre, later renamed the Joan Sutherland Theatre. As a result, the Joan Sutherland Theatre is inadequate to stage large-scale opera and ballet. A theatre, a cinema and a library were also added. 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 the Studio respectively. These changes were primarily because of inadequacies in the original competition brief, which did not make it adequately clear how the Opera House was to be used. The layout of the interiors was changed, and the stage machinery, already designed and fitted inside the major hall, was pulled out and largely thrown away, as detailed in the 1968 BBC TV documentary
Autopsy on a Dream, which "chronicles the full spectrum of controversy surrounding the construction of the Sydney Opera House". • Externally, the cladding to the podium and the paving (the podium was originally 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 of prefabricated plywood
mullions, but a different system was designed to deal with the glass. • Utzon's plywood corridor designs, and his acoustic and seating designs for the interior of both major halls, were scrapped completely. His design for the Concert Hall was rejected as it only seated 2000, which was considered insufficient. The Concert Hall has a very high roof, leading to a lack of early reflections onstage—
perspex rings (the "acoustic clouds") hanging over the stage were added shortly before opening in an (unsuccessful) attempt to address this problem.
Completion and cost The Opera House was formally completed in 1973, having cost $102 million. H.R. "Sam" Hoare, the Hornibrook director in charge of the project, provided the following approximations in 1973: Stage I: podium Civil & Civic approximately $5.5m. Stage II: roof shells MR Hornibrook approximately $12.5m. Stage III: completion MR Hornibrook $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).
Utzon and his resignation Before the Sydney Opera House competition, Jørn Utzon had won seven of the 18 competitions he had entered but had never seen any of his designs built. Utzon's submitted concept for the Sydney Opera House was almost universally admired and considered groundbreaking. The Assessors Report of January 1957 stated: For the first stage, Utzon worked successfully with the rest of the design team and the client, but, as the project progressed, the Cahill government insisted on progressive revisions. They also did not fully appreciate the costs or work involved in design and construction. Tensions between the client and the design team grew further when an early start to construction was demanded despite an incomplete design. This resulted in a continuing series of delays and setbacks while various technical engineering issues were being refined. The building was unique, and the problems with the design issues and cost increases were exacerbated by commencement of work before the completion of the final plans. After the 1965 election of the Liberal Party, with
Robert Askin becoming
Premier of New South Wales, the relationship of client, architect, engineers and contractors became increasingly tense. Askin had been a "vocal critic of the project prior to gaining office." His new Minister for Public Works,
Davis Hughes, was even less sympathetic.
Elizabeth Farrelly, an Australian architecture critic, wrote that: Differences ensued. One of the first was that Utzon believed the clients should receive information on all aspects of the design and construction through his practice, while the clients wanted a system (notably drawn in sketch form by Davis Hughes) where architect, contractors, and engineers each reported to the client directly and separately. This had great implications for
procurement methods and cost control, with Utzon wishing to negotiate contracts with chosen suppliers (such as Ralph Symonds for the plywood interiors) and the New South Wales government insisting contracts be
put out to tender. 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 an impractical dreamer. Ove Arup actually stated that Utzon was "probably the best of any I have come across in my long experience of working with architects" and: "The Opera House could become the world's foremost contemporary masterpiece if Utzon is given his head." , from the eastern
Botanic Gardens In 1965 Utzon was 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 extremely sketchy" and that the technical advice was "elementary to say the least and completely useless for our purposes." Australian architecture critic Elizabeth Farrelly has referred to Ove Arup's project engineer Michael Lewis as having "other agendas". Hughes then withheld funding so that Utzon could not even pay his own staff. The government minutes record that following several threats of resignation, Utzon finally stated to Davis Hughes: "If you don't do it, I resign." Hughes replied: "I accept your resignation. Thank you very much. Goodbye." Utzon left the project on 28 February 1966. He said that Hughes's refusal to pay him any fees and the lack of collaboration caused his resignation and later described the situation as "Malice in Blunderland". In March 1966, Hughes offered him 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 Australia, never to return. Following the resignation, there was great controversy about who was in the right and who was in the wrong. The
Sydney Morning Herald initially opined: "No architect in the world has enjoyed greater freedom than Mr Utzon. Few clients have been more patient or more generous than the people and the Government of NSW. One would not like history to record that this partnership was brought to an end by a fit of temper on the one side or by a fit of meanness on the other." On 17 March 1966, the
Herald offered the view that: "It was not his [Utzon's] fault that a succession of Governments and the Opera House Trust should so signally have failed to impose any control or order on the project ... his concept was so daring that he himself could solve its problems only step by step ... his insistence on perfection led him to alter his design as he went along." The Sydney Opera House opened the way for the immensely complex geometries of some modern architecture. The design was one of the first examples of the use of
computer-aided design to design complex shapes. The design techniques developed by Utzon and Arup for the Sydney Opera House have been further developed and are now used for architecture, such as works of
Gehry and
blobitecture, as well as most reinforced concrete structures. The design is also one of the first in the world to use
araldite to glue the precast structural elements together and proved the concept for future use. It was also a first in mechanical engineering. Another Danish firm,
Steensen Varming, was responsible for designing the new air-conditioning plant, the largest in Australia at the time, supplying over of air per minute, using the innovative idea of harnessing the harbour water to create a water-cooled
heat pump system that is still in operation today.
Opening The Sydney Opera House was formally opened by
Queen Elizabeth II, on 20 October 1973. A large crowd attended. The opening was televised and included fireworks and a performance of
Beethoven's
Symphony No. 9. It is frequently erroneously claimed that Utzon was not invited to the opening and his name was not mentioned at the ceremony. In 2004, the first interior space rebuilt to an Utzon design was opened and renamed "The Utzon Room" in his honour. It contains an original Utzon
tapestry (14.00 x 3.70 metres) called
Homage to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. In April 2007, he proposed a major reconstruction of the Opera Theatre, as it was then known. Utzon died on 29 November 2008, having never returned to Australia to see the completed Opera House. A state memorial service, attended by Utzon's son Jan and daughter Lin, was held in the Concert Hall on 25 March 2009 featuring performances, readings and recollections from prominent figures in the Australian performing arts scene. Refurbished Western Foyer and accessibility improvements were commissioned on 17 November 2009, the largest building project completed since Utzon was re-engaged in 1999. Designed by Utzon and his son
Jan, the project provided improved ticketing, toilet and cloaking facilities. New escalators and a public lift enabled enhanced access for the disabled and families with
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. In 2013, a 60-metre long artwork by artist
Reg Mombassa was unveiled at the Sydney Opera House. The Gumscape, Road and Creatures triptych was commissioned by the Sydney Opera House to cover the scaffolding concealing refurbishment building work. On 29 March 2016, an original 1959 tapestry by
Le Corbusier (2.18 x 3.55 metres), commissioned by Utzon to be hung in the Sydney Opera House and called
Les Dés Sont Jetés (The Dice Are Cast), was finally unveiled
in situ after being owned by the Utzon family and held at their home in Denmark for over 50 years. The tapestry was bought at auction by the Sydney Opera House in June 2015. It now hangs in the building's Western Foyer and is accessible to the public. In the second half of 2017, the Joan Sutherland Theatre was closed to replace the stage machinery and for other works.
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 three appointees 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. Returning to Sydney, Hall worked for the Government Architect, a branch of the NSW Public Works Department. While there he established himself as a talented design architect with a number of court and university buildings, including the Goldstein Hall at the University of New South Wales, which won the
Sir John Sulman Medal in 1964. Hall resigned from the Government Architects office in early 1966 to pursue his own practice. When approached to take on the design role, (after at least two prominent Sydney architects had declined), Hall spoke with Utzon by phone before accepting the position. Utzon reportedly told Hall: he (Hall) would not be able to finish the job and the Government would have to invite him back. Hall also sought the advice of others, including architect Don Gazzard who warned him acceptance would be a bad career move as the project would "never be his own". Hall agreed to accept the role on the condition there was no possibility of Utzon returning. Even so, his appointment did not go down well with many of his fellow architects who considered that no one but Utzon should complete the Sydney Opera House. ==Performance firsts==