Professor Kenneth Frampton suggests this building block approach of construction comes from the stepped methods found in Chinese architecture instead of the Western tradition of using trusses. Utzon called this process of construction 'additive architecture,' where prefabricated elements were joined onsite to create a whole.

The exterior construction materials included preccast rib segments 'rising to a ridge beam' and a concrete pedestal 'clad in earth-toned, reconstituted granite panels.' The design was for shells to be clad with glazed off-white tiles. Interestingly, the Sydney Opera House drawings are public records held in the archives of the New South Wales government. Out of some 230 entries from over thirty countries, Utzon's concept was selected.

Jørn Utzon had just entered an anonymous competition for an opera house to be built in Australia on a point of land jutting into Sydney harbor. Keystone/Getty Images (cropped)ĭesigns for most major public sector architectural projects are often determined by a competition - similar to a casting call, a tryout, or a job interview. Sydney Opera House Under Construction in August 1966.

Sydney opera house shells