New Delhi: The Sydney Opera House in Australia’s Sydney is a multi-venue performing arts centre. It is widely regarded as one of the most famous and distinctive buildings in the world and a masterpiece of 20th-century architecture. It is located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour. On June 28, 1998, the Sydney Opera House was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is one of the most popular visitor attractions in Australia. Every year, more than eight million people visit it and approximately 350,000 visitors take a guided tour of the building each year. While millions of people visit the Sydney Opera House, very few know about the man who designed this masterpiece.
Who designed the famous Sydney Opera House in Australia?
Jørn Oberg Utzon was a Danish architect who designed the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Born on April 9, 1918, in Copenhagen, Utzon was the son of a naval architect. He went to the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and Gunnar Asplund and Alvar Aalto influenced him in the early phase of his career.
Designing the Sydney Opera House
In 1957, Utzon won an international design competition for his design of Australia’s Sydney Opera House. In total, 233 designs from 32 countries were submitted. The Cahill government of New South Wales feared delay of construction would result in a lack of public support and gave the signal to start the work in 1958. The extraordinary structure of the shells was a puzzle for the engineers and it was resolved in 1961 by Utzon himself.
On March 2, 1959, the construction work began but Cahill’s death in October 1959 complicated the situation. In mid-1965, Robert Askin’s New South Wales Liberal government was elected and he was against the project even before coming to the office. Davis Hughes, his new Minister for Public Works, had even less sympathy for the work.
Utzon got into an unwilling conflict with Hughes who tried to reduce the cost of the project and questioned the capability of Utzon, his designs, schedules and cost estimates. In 1966, Utzon resigned from the job after making one final request and left Australia, vowing never to return to the country. By the time he left, costs amounted to only $22.9 million. But after that, the cost rose to $103 million.
In 1973, the Sydney Opera House was finally completed and Queen Elizabeth II came to inaugurate it. Utzon was invited for the occasion but he declined. In October 2004, The Utzon Room was officially dedicated and it overlooks Sydney Harbour. After the Sydney Opera House became a World Heritage Site, it made Utzon only the second person after Oscar Niemeyer to receive such recognition for his work during his lifetime. His other notable works include Bagsværd Church near Copenhagen and Kuwait’s National Assembly Building.
Sydney Opera House is widely regarded as one of the most famous and distinctive buildings in the world and a masterpiece of 20th-century architecture. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
