Located in the harbor area of Sydney, Australia, the Sydney Opera House looks as if it will drop you into the waters at any moment. Resembling a gigantic sailboat, the building is a symbolic structure. The building, which was built by the architect Jorn Utzon, has been awarded many awards due to its features and extraordinary appearance, and has become a touristic icon.

 

After the Second World War, Australia became a country fed by immigrants from Europe. These immigrants started to grow the country's economy rapidly. Meanwhile, British composer Sir Eugene Goossens came to Sydney to conduct the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Goossens, who started his studies, started to express that the city needed an opera house and put great pressure on the politicians of the period for the construction of this building. Politicians, discouraged by the oppression, started the works for the construction of this building.

In 1955, an international design competition was held. A total of 233 designs from 32 countries participated in the competition. Two years after the designs were examined, Jorn Utzon's design won the competition with its extraordinary appearance. In his design, Utzon created a sculptural form inspired by the sails of the yachts in Sydney Harbour.

In March 1959, agreements were made and the construction of the building began. Construction will be carried out in three main phases; podiums, roof and interiors. It was planned to be completed in 1963, but only the podiums could be completed until this year.

As you can imagine, the part that challenged the engineers during the roof construction was the sails. The solution of these parts took a long time, but the work could not be solved. Jorn Utzon did the analysis and kept the work going.

Robert Askin took the seat of the Australian Federal Presidency in 1965 and expressed his open opposition to this project. David Hughes, who was appointed Chief Public Affairs Officer, took a much more opposing stance than the president. Architect Utzon, who was in constant conflict with these authorities in this tense environment, resigned in 1966 and left Australia, never to return. After the separation, interior architectural applications started to be made without being tied to the original project.

In this process, economic problems began to emerge. The total cost of the building, which was calculated as 7 million Australian dollars at the first stage, has reached costs exceeding 100 million Australian dollars. In order to overcome these problems that would prolong the deadline, changes were made in the design, and money was collected from the public by organizing lotteries in order to provide financial resources.

The building, which was planned to be completed in 1963, could be finished in 1973 and the Queen of Australia II. It was opened for use with the participation of Elizabeth. Architect Jorn Utzon was not invited to the opening, and his name was not even mentioned.

But that's life, even if they don't mention his name, architect Jorn Utzon received the "Pritzker" award, one of the world's prestigious architectural awards, in 2003 with his architectural masterpiece. Sydney Opera House is also included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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