Who Designed The Sydney Opera House?

Thirty-two countries competed for the privilege of designing this opera house, and 233 design entries were submitted. First prize went to 38-year-old Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who thoughtfully patterned his design to echo the windblown sails of boats navigating the harbour. His design required erecting more than four acres (1.6 hectares) of concrete and suspending it in the air. All 10 shell-like concrete formations had irregular curvatures.

Engineers in London, England, tried six experimental construction methods, each of which had to be abandoned. In fact, the foundation was begun before it was even known whether it would be possible to build a structure according to the magnificent concept.

Finally the Danish architect suggested changing the irregular shape of the shells to the geometry of a perfect ball—one that would be 492 feet (150 meters) in diameter. This meant that each of the 10 shells, though different in height, would follow the same basic curvature. The new design enormously simplified construction.

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