Sydney Opera House

Identification

Map

Structure in general

Usage

Facts

• Along with the Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House is the city's most recognized structure.
• On January 29, 1957 Jorn Utzon was declared the winning architect of the design competition out 233 worldwide entries.
• Construction began in March 1959.
• The tip of the tallest shell reaches 67.4m (222ft) above Sydney Harbour, which equates to half the height of the nearby Harbour Bridge (134m).
• The Sydney Opera House boasts 20,000 light fittings. Its gleaming white sails comprise 1,057,000 Swedish tiles.
• The magnificent site of the Opera House was originally Bennelong Point tram depot which opened in 1902. During the 1950s Sydney's trams were gradually phased out in favour of buses and the tram shed became redundant. It was demolished in 1958 to make way for the building of the Sydney Opera House.
• Uses 6225 square metres of glass and 645 kilometres of electric cable.
• Opened by Queen Elizabeth II on October 20, 1973.
• Over two million people attend performances here annually.
• Joern Utzon's design was chosen from 233 entries in the 1956 international competition.
• The Sydney Opera House was put on the State Heritage Register on December 3, 2003.
• The building occupies an area of 1.8 hectares whilst the roof is comprised of 2,914 pre-cast segments weighing in total some 26,700 tonnes.
• In 2001 the architect Jørn Utzon was called upon in the capacity of consultant to oversee the refurbishment of his building.