Whose Design Is the Sydney Opera House?

Quick Answer

Danish architect Jørn Utzon designed the Sydney Opera House, completed in 1973.

The Full Story

Danish architect Jørn Utzon won an international design competition in 1957 with his radical concept of interlocking shell-shaped roofs for the Sydney Opera House. Construction began in 1959 but was plagued by engineering challenges, cost overruns, and political disputes. Utzon resigned from the project in 1966 and never saw the finished building in person. Queen Elizabeth II opened it on 20 October 1973. The Opera House became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007 and is one of the most iconic buildings of the 20th century.

Key Facts

1.The original cost estimate was A$7 million; the final cost was A$102 million.

2.The roof shells are covered with over 1 million tiles from Sweden.

3.Utzon received the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2003 but was too frail to attend the ceremony in Sydney.

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