Transcript SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

BUILD BY WHO:
It
was conceived and built by Danish architect
Jοrn Utzon.
 It
is one of the most famous buildings of the
20th century. It is also one of the most
popular visitor attractions in Australia, with
more than seven million people visiting the
site every year.
 The building houses multiple performance
venues and it hosts over 1,500 performances
each year attended by about 1.2 million
people.
ITS LOCATION:

It is in Sydney, New
South Wales, in
Australia and is located
at Bennelong point in
Sydney port and near
the famous Sydney
Bridge.
 The
Sydney Opera House is a modern
expressionist design, with a series of large
precast concrete "shells", each composed of
sections of a sphere of 75.2 metre (246 ft)
radius, forming the roofs of the structure,
set on a monumental podium.
 The building covers 1.8 hectares (4.5 acres)
of land and is 183 metres (605 ft) long and
120 metres (388 ft) wide at its widest point.
It is supported on 588 concrete piers sunk as
much as 25 metres below sea level.
 The
power supply is equivalent for a town of
25,000 people and distributed by 645
kilometers of electrical cable.
 The roofs are covered with 1.056 billion
Swedish glazed tiles mineral creamy-white,
though from a distance the tiles look only
white.
 The theater's opera and concert hall are the
two largest groups of shells and other
theaters are on the sides of the shell
groupings. The interior of the building
consists of pink granite.
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The Sydney Opera House contains five theaters,
five rehearsal studios, two main halls, four
restaurants, six bars and numerous souvenir shops.
The five theaters are the facilities:
* The Concert Hall Concert Hall, with 2,679 seats,
* The Opera Theatre Opera Theatre, with 1,547
seats, is the main performance space for Opera
Australia, also used by the Australian Ballet
Australian Ballet Company.
* Theatre Drama Theatre, with 544 seats
* Theatre Playhouse, with 398 seats
* The Theatre Studio Theatre, with 364 seats
Except from theatrical productions, facilities are
also used for events such as weddings, parties and
conferences.
Origins:
Planning
for the
Sydney Opera House
began in the late
1940s, when Eugene
Goossens, lobbied for
a suitable venue for
large theatrical
productions.
 Stage
I commenced on 2 March 1959, monitored by
the engineers and partners. However, Utzon had
still not completed the final designs.
 Major structural issues still remained unresolved.
By 23 January 1961, work was running 47 weeks
behind, because of unexpected difficulties.
 Work on the podium was finally completed in
February 1963. The forced early start led to
significant later problems, not least of which was
the fact that the podium columns were not strong
enough to support the roof structure, and had to be
re-built.
From
1957 to 1963, the design
team went through at least twelve
alterations of the form of the shells
trying to find an economically
acceptable form before a workable
solution was completed.
In mid-1961, the design team found
a solution to the problem: the shells
all being created as sections from a
sphere. This solution allows arches
of varying length to be cast in a
common mould, and a number of arch
segments of common length to be
placed adjacent to one another, to
form a spherical section.
The
cost of the project so far
was still only $22.9 million less
than a quarter of the final $102
million cost. The second stage of
construction was progressing
toward completion when Utzon
resigned. His position was
principally taken over by Peter
Hall, who became largely
responsible for the interior
design.
The
Opera House was formally
completed in 1973, having cost $102
million.
Stage I:podium approximately $5.5m.
Stage II: roof shells approximately
$12.5m.
Stage III: completion The Hornibrook
Group $56.5m. Separate contracts:
stage equipment, stage lighting and organ
$9.0m. Fees and other costs $16.5m.
The original cost estimate in 1957 was
£3,500,000 ($7 million). The original
completion date set by the government
was 26 January 1963 (Australia Day).
The project was completed ten years
late and over-budget by more than
fourteen times.
 The
Opera House was formally opened
by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on
20 October 1973, with a large crowd in
attendance.
 The architect, Jorn Utzon, was not
invited to the ceremony, nor was his
name mentioned. The opening was
televised and included fireworks and a
performance of Beethoven's Symphony.



Beginning in the late 1990s, the Sydney Opera House
Trust began to communicate with Jorn Utzon in an
attempt to effect a reconciliation and to secure his
involvement in future changes to the building.
In 1999, he was appointed by the Trust as a design
consultant for future work. In 2004, the first interior
space rebuilt to an Utzon design was opened, and
renamed "The Utzon Room" in his honour.
In April 2007, he proposed a major reconstruction of
the Opera Theatre. Utzon died on 29 November 2008. A
state memorial service, attended by Utzon's son Jan and
daughter Lin, celebrating the creative genius of Jorn
Utzon was held in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall
on 25 March 2009 featuring performances, readings and
recollections from prominent figures in the Australian
performing arts scene.


On Tuesday 17 November 2009, Sydney Opera
House officially opened the refurbished Western
Foyers and Accessibility improvements, the largest
building project completed since Jorn Utzon was
re-engaged in 1999.
Designed by Utzon and his son Jan, in collaboration
with Richard Johnson of Johnson Pilton Walker, the
project has transformed the Western Foyers into a
stylish and functional space providing patrons with
additional amenities including new ticketing, toilet
and cloaking facilities. Importantly, new escalators
and a public lift have vastly improved access for
less mobile visitors, people with a disability and
families with prams.
I
chose the Sidney Opera House because I
think is a very beautiful building and an
amazing place which is used for a lot of types
of entertainment, like opera, theatre and
others. Finally, it is something very special.

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http://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/Όπερα_του_Σiδνεϋ
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Opera_House
Chrystalla Kekkou B'1