The Australian Opera House
The role of the Australian Opera house in art is what I find attracting. I have also come across the history of Australian Opera for many years and this is the reason I decided to study about the house in depth.
In 1954, the Premier of New South Wales Joseph Cahill, the General Manager of Australian Broadcasting Commission, which constituted of Charles Moses and the top director of Sydney Symphony Orchestra. They all agreed through a meeting to construct an exceptional global opera house structure in Sydney, the capital of the New South Wales County in Australia. The construction of the Australian house began in 1959 and it was concluded fourteen years later in 1973. It was considerably costly to build this house because of the resources used. The initial cost of construction was $ 7 million however, this cost rose to $ 102 million when the house was completed. This house was officially opened in October 1973.
The foremost role of this house was to offer a comprehensive image and the character of the Australian nation. This was to enlighten the culture of Australia into the present age, as well as to grant Sydney Symphony Orchestra big space to present art internationally. The Opera house was also to serve as a multi- spot for performing arts in Australia. Despite the construction challenges, the building was completed in 1973. This is currently the busiest house in Australia that provides a performance podium for all the art companies in Australia. In addition, graduated students from the Architecture faculty of the University Of New South Wells are also given a opportunities to plan the Sydney Opera House.
However, the active modern structural architectural design was selected from 220 designs that were presented after an intercontinental design competition given in various cultural and political ethnic origins. The winner of the competition was the submission number 218, which was created by a Danish designer called Jorn Utzon (born in1918). Jorn Utzon architectural and structural design of the opera house was resourceful and innovative among other competitors. This design consisted of three series of pre-cast interlocking shells based on a huge platform forming two opera halls and a restaurant all surrounded with a huge area of waking terrace. The house was constructed successfully and it is still serving its original purpose in the in the field of art. The House holds approximately 3000 events yearly and it is open 24/7 throughout the whole year.
Part Two
The walls and the ceiling of the Opera House are made of coated glass that is originally positioned in between the sheets of glass that are placed together. In addition, the roofs of this house are made of fungus earthenware tiles. The constructors also used Pre cast concrete in construction the ribs, and the shells of the Opera House. To grip and maintain the precast, they also used steel and tendon, while the roof was held together by the use of epoxy resin.
Thus, the Australian Opera House was specifically designed like a Trans Wold Airline Building situated at the Kennedy Airport in the United States. All the materials that were used were obtained from close cities to the New York States and were transported to the construction sites using trucks. This was a design suggested by Jorn Utzon after the decision made by the NSW government. This commission gave Jorn Utzon the powers to be in control in designing and constructing of the Opera House.
He was chosen as the designer after the construction and building of the House became controversial. Thus, in 1956 the NSW state decided to organize for an open minded worldwide designing completion. The government succeeded by first designing an independent jury. This competition provided wide specifications that attracted the world popular talents. However, it did not highlight design parameters but the key requirement was to enlighten a design for two performance walls. They also ensured that the in the design appropriate for the Opera House was not changed. It was after this competition that Jorn Utzon was selected as a successful designer for the building. The initial design of the Opera House was changed in such a way that they constructed large shells to cover the entire two walls.
Although, Utzon decided to improve and change the initial plan of construction, it was extremely difficult to comprehend this design. By 1965, the Liberal state was selected and the David Hughes started challenging the design by Utzon as well as the costs. The government ultimately stopped making payments to Utzon, and was required to vacate the contract. Since this was the chief challenge for Utzon to face and construct the Opera House. After Utzon had left, the new Australian team consisting of Peter Hall, Lionel Todd and David Littlemore decided to take over the construction of the Opera House. This took them almost extra seven years to complete the construction that increased the cost of construction. On the other hand, Utzon never returned to Australia but he died in Denmark on the 29th of November.
The history of the Australian Opera House is extremely vital. This is because it gives the reader an opening to learn about the origin of art in Australia. In addition, the history also mentions the noteworthy roles that the Opera House plays in the field of art.
References
Australian Opera House. (2011, April 26). Retrieved from Australian Opera House: www.sydneyarchitecture.com
Australian Opera House. (2013, April 26). Retrieved from Australian Opera House: http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/
Murray, P. (2004). The Saga of the Sydney Opera House. London: Routledge.
Pierce, P. (2009). The Cambridge History of Australian Literature. Cambridge: University of Cambridge.
Shafrer, S. (2006). Sydney Opera House. New York: The Creative Company.
Utzon, J. (2010). Sydney Opera House: Sydney, Australia, 1957-73. New York: A.D.A. Edita.
