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Sydney Opera House
224 AUSTRALASIA

No other building on Earth looks like Sydney Opera House.
Popularly known as the "Opera House" long before the
building had been completed, it is, in fact, a complex
INDIAN CORAL
OCEAN SEA of theaters, studios, and music venues lin ked beneath its
famous roofs, or "shells." The building's birth w as long and
AUSTRALIA
complicated. Many of t he construction problems had not
SYDNEY been faced before, resulting in an architectural adventure
CP~RA HOUSE
nberra• that lasted 14 years. A n appeal fund was set up, eventually
• M2100urhQ
SOIJTH£RN OCEAN raising AU$900,000, while the Opera House Lottery raised
the balance of the AU$102 million final cost. Today, the
Opera House is Sydney's most popular tourist attraction, as
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
w ell as one of the world's busiest performing arts centers. Advertising poster
In 1957, the Danish architectJ0rn Utzon won
the international competition to design Sydney
Opera House. He envisaged a living sculpture BACKSTAGE
that could be viewed from any angle, on land, ~ Opera Theater
Artists performing at S ydne y Opera
air, or sea. It was boldly conceived, pos ing
House have the use of five rehears al
architectural and engineering problems that studios, 60 dressing rooms, suites, Opera Theater
Utzon's first sketches did not solve. When and a green room complete with a Ceiling and Wall s
These are painted black,
construction began in 1959, the intricate bar, lounge, and restaurant. The
to focus the audience's
deSig'l proved impossible to execute and had scene-changing machinery works on attention on the stage.
to be greatly modified. The proJect rema1ned well-oiled wheels-crucial in the Opera
so controversial that Utzon resigned 1n 1966 Theater, where there IS often a
nightly change of performance.
and an Australian design team completed the
intenor Howe ver, he was reappointed as
a cons ultant. to de velop a set of guidelines
for any future alterations to the building.

ROLE AND SIGNIFICANCE ~ The Possum Dreaming
Sydney Opera House is instantly recogn1zable
around the world.lt is managed by the Sydney
Opera House Trust, which is responsible for
ma1nta1ning its high status as Australia's mam
cultural landmark and performing arts center
The building IS one of the wor1d' s most
renowned architectural marvels and has won
nume rous awards, including the prestigious
Top T e n Construction Achievements of the
20th Century award in 1999. An e s timated
4.4 million people visit the Opera House e very
year, 75 percent of whom go just to look
around the magnificent structure

THE THEATER AND HALLS
Underneath the ten spectacular, sail~ike roofs
of varying planes and textures lies a maze of
more than 1,000 rooms of all shapes and sizes
showcasing different events. The Concert Hall
is decked out in native white birch and brush
box (hardwood timber) The Dr am a Theater
s tage is 49 ft (1 S m) square, and can be clearly
viewed from every seat in the auditorium.
R efrigerated aluminum panels in the ceiling
control the temperature. F ine Australian art
hangs 1n the Playhouse foyer, notably Sidney ~ Opera House Walkway
Nolan's Uttfe Shark (1973) and a fresco by Extensive public walkways
around the building offer
Salvatore Zofrea (1992-3). lhe Opera Theater
visitors views from many
1 s the second largest verue and hosts laVIsh different vantage points. ~ Northern Foyers
opera and dance performances. The theate r's
proscenium opening is 39 ft ( 12 m) wide, and
the stage extends back 69ft (21 m)