Sydney Opera House

The theatre with sail-shaped roofs

The Sydney Opera House stands by the sea, and its roofs look like sails or orange segments! It was designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who won a competition against 233 entries. Construction took 14 years and cost 15 times more than planned. The roof is covered in a million white tiles that clean themselves in the rain. Inside are 7 halls, and 1,500 performances are held each year.

The Sydney Opera House (1959–1973) on Bennelong Point is an icon of 20th-century architecture. In the 1957 competition, juror Eero Saarinen pulled Utzon's sketch (he was 38) from the rejected pile. The 'shell' geometry solution (1961): all 14 shells are cut from a single sphere, allowing precast concrete assembly (engineers Ove Arup). The roof carries 1,056,006 Swedish glazed tiles. The cost rose from 7 to 102 million Australian dollars (paid for by a lottery); Utzon fell out with the government in 1966, left, and never saw the finished building (Pritzker Prize, 2003). 5,798 seats in 6 main venues; the Concert Hall organ is the world's largest mechanical organ (10,154 pipes). UNESCO since 2007 (one of the youngest sites). 10.9 million visitors a year. Before World War II a tram depot stood here.

Fun facts

• The roof has 1,056,006 tiles that clean themselves in the rain.
• Architect Utzon never saw the finished building.
• All the 'sails' are cut from a single sphere.