

The first would consist of the structure’s podium, the second would see the formation of the iconic outer shells, and the final stage would focus on the internal outfits of the concert halls and other open spaces. The construction of the Sydney Opera House was planned in three distinct stages. After the construction of the monument, one central problem raised that the concrete podium columns were not strong enough to support the structure load. Nearly 100 meter wide monumental steps lead up to the two halls. The foyer spaces are revealed by glass curtain walls. There are two main halls located side by side. The piers are sunk up to 25 meters below sea level.

The Opera House is supported by 580 concrete piers. Since all the shells are derived as a section of spheres, this avoided the need for expensive formwork construction by allowing the use of pre-cast units that could be tiled at ground level.įig 2: The Opera House during constructionĬourtesy: National Film and Sound Archive The design of shells involved Computer-Aided Design and analysis to understand the complex forces they would be subjected to. Two types of tiles are used, one is glossy white another is matte cream. The reinforced concrete shells are in a series of concrete ribs that support a total of 2194 precast concrete roof panels which are clad with over 1 million tiles. The sails were originally designed as parabolas. Geometrically, each sphere is a part of a sphere. The beams are held together by 350 km of tensioned steel cable. The shells are made of pre-cast concrete rib segments and raised by the ridged beam. The distinctive design was a set of interlocking vaulted shells. The design of the Opera House was one of the most challenging engineering projects ever. After his win, Utzon proceeded to refine the building plans. Around 233 drawings were submitted from architects of 32 countries, the judges declared Danish architect Jorn Utzon as the winner of the competition.

When the New South Wales Conservatorium of music outgrew their location at Sydney Townhall in 1955, Premier Joseph Cahill held an international design competition for a dedicated opera house. It looks like floating on water, but this landmark building took some extreme engineering and over a decade of construction work to become a reality.įig 1: The Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia It is an iconic structure that is synonymous with Australia. It is one of the most recognized buildings of the World in the 20th century. It is a multi-forums performing art Centre at Sydney Harbor located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Sydney Opera House, an image of a great beauty Articles > Sydney Opera House, an image of a great beauty
