Sydney Opera House

Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon and located on Bennelong Point in Sydney (Australia), the Sydney Opera House is widely regarded as one of the world’s most famous and distinctive buildings, and a masterpiece of 20th-century architecture.

Utzon (pictured) was the winner of an international design competition, which received 233 entries from architects representing 32 countries.

His design was inspired by natural shapes, most notably those of bird wings, clouds, shells, walnuts, rivers and palm leaves.

The judges’ choice of Utzon’s bold and imaginative design was not without controversy.

It stirred the people of Sydney to both wonder and abuse, with some calling it the Sydney Harbour monster, a piece of Danish pastry, and a disintegrating circus tent.

The site for the construction of the new opera house was created by the 1958 demolition of the Fort Macquarie Tram Depot (pictured below).

Known to the local indigenous Gadigal people of the Eora nation as ‘Tubowgule’, it was a place where Aboriginal celebrations had been held for thousands of years.

Construction started on 2 March 1959, but by 23 January 1961, work was running 47 weeks behind because of unexpected difficulties (inclement weather, unexpected difficulty diverting stormwater, construction beginning before proper construction drawings had been prepared, changes of original contract documents).

The design team went through at least 12 iterations of the form of the shells, trying to find a workable and economically acceptable form before a workable solution was completed.

A change of federal government in Australia led to a deterioration in the relationship between the client, architect, engineers and contractors, resulting in Jørn Utzon’s resignation in 1966.

Utzon’s resignation led to a public outcry, with 1,000 people taking to Sydney’s streets on 3 March 1966 to demand that he be reinstated. Instead, the new government appointed a new panel of Australian architects to complete the project.

The Opera House was completed in 1973 – Ten years late and 14 times over its initial budget, it came in at A$102m (£51m).

The building was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 October 1973. The Queen praised the stunning building that had “captured the imagination of the world” while also wryly mentioning that “I understand that its construction has not been totally without problems”.

Jørn Utzon declined to attend the opening, writing that he couldn’t “see anything positive” in the interior work by the Australian architects, and asserting it would not be possible for him “to avoid making very negative statements”.

One of the most popular visitor attractions in Australia, the Sydney Opera House is visited by more than ten million people annually and its distinctive sculptural form has made it one of the most immediately recognisable buildings in the world.

As a venue, it has played host to everyone from Bob Dylan, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sammy Davis Jr. to Thin Lizzy, The Cure, Björk, and Massive Attack. In 1980, Arnold Schwarzenegger won his final bodybuilding title there, and 10 years later, anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela made one of his first major speeches from its steps following his release from prison.

In 2007, the building was formally recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.