Sydney Opera House is the most famous building in Australia. It stands on Bennelong Point, a peninsula jutting into Sydney Harbour. Its two saillike roofs, made of overlapping shells, have come to symbolize the city. The Opera House can seat more than 6,600 spectators. Its halls provide facilities for symphony concerts, opera, drama, ballet, motion pictures, solo recitals, exhibitions, and conventions. The roof shells cover the two largest performing halls and a restaurant. The Sydney Opera House attracts millions of visitors each year.
The Danish architect Jørn Utzon made the original design for the Opera House. His design was chosen in 1957 from 233 entries submitted in an international architectural competition. Work began on the building in 1959, under the supervision of the minister for works of the state of New South Wales. Utzon resigned in 1966 after a disagreement with the government of New South Wales.
A team of three Sydney architects—Peter Hall, Lionel Todd, and David Littlemore—was appointed to complete the work. They proposed a number of changes in Utzon’s design, including major alterations in the use of some of the performing halls. The Opera House finally had its gala opening in 1973. The original cost estimate for the construction of the Opera House was 7 million Australian dollars. When it was completed in 1973, the total cost was 102 million Australian dollars.
In 1999, the Sydney Opera House Trust engaged Utzon to create a set of design principles for future modifications to the building. In 2004, the Reception Hall was renovated and renamed the Utzon Room. Based on Utzon’s design, it features natural wood and finishes and a floor-to-ceiling tapestry designed by Utzon. In 2006, builders completed an arcade to Utzon’s design along the western side of the Opera House. In 2015, a tapestry designed by Swiss architect Le Corbusier and woven in 2009 was hung in the western entrance hall.
In 2003, Utzon was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize for his work on the Sydney Opera House and many other projects. The Pritzker Architecture Prize is the most prestigious international award in architecture. In 2007, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added the Sydney Opera House to its World Heritage List of culturally significant sites.
