Sydney Opera House, Opera house on Bennelong Point, Sydney, Australia
The Sydney Opera House is a performing arts centre on Bennelong Point, its roofs formed by overlapping precast concrete shells rising from a long podium at the water's edge. The shells are clad in 1,056,006 glossy white and matte cream tiles, and the tallest point stands 67 metres above sea level.
Construction began in 1959 following an international competition won by Danish architect Jørn Utzon in 1957, who departed the project in 1966 amid disputes with government officials, after which an Australian team completed the interior work until Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the venue in 1973, with UNESCO inscribing the site as World Heritage in 2007.
Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, Sydney Theatre Company and Sydney Symphony Orchestra are the resident companies. The Joan Sutherland Theatre, known as the Opera Theatre until 17 October 2012, seats 1,507 and is the Sydney home of Opera Australia and The Australian Ballet, while the 544-seat Drama Theatre is used by Sydney Theatre Company.
The closest station is Circular Quay, with ferry and bus terminals beside it; the site lies in the central business district on Bennelong Point, between Sydney Cove and Farm Cove. About 350,000 people take a guided tour each year. A granite walkway runs around the whole building.
Utzon discovered the geometric solution for the shells in 1961 when he realized all segments could come from a single sphere with a 75-meter radius. This insight allowed the production of 2194 identical precast concrete ribs and resolved the structural problem that had blocked progress for years.
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