Sydney Opera House: Sydney 1957-73 Jorn Utzon

by Philip Drew, Jorn Utzon, Anthony Browell

Jorn Utzon's Opera House has a heroic quality; indeed, Utzon referred to it himself as a kind of 'cathedral', analogous to a Gothic church in the way that light and movement play across its public spaces. Its complex shell-like roof structures echo Gothic arches in section, but the building breaks with all precedent in its three-dimensional form. Finding a practical solution to the construction of these roofs occupied the architect and the engineer Ove Arup for many years, necessitating considerable experimentation with pre-cast concrete technology. Disputes with his client led to Utzon's withdrawal from the project, and the Opera House looked for a time as if it might be a white elephant. At last, after a 16-year gestation, it opened in 1973 having already become an Australian national icon.

Genres: Architecture

60 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1995

Reviews

[Andrew Ferguson]

Architectural writing is often undercut by running sentences packed with inpenetrable jargon but not so here. Philip Drew's brief yet detailed look into one of the finest buildings in the world takes the reader through the Sydney Opera House's history, design, and engineering, buttressed throughout by beautifully composed photographs that evocatively capture the architect's brilliance. It is often underappreciated just how excellent the Opera House is, and this book convincingly reminds us why.

[Sue Ann Painter]

Superb. Excellent photos and substantive text.