20 October marks 50 years since the Sydney Opera House was officially opened.
Architecture
Professor Cameron Logan, School of Architecture, Design and Planning said: “The Sydney Opera House is much more than its remarkable form and extraordinary setting. “But, while famously dismissed as a “circus tent” by Frank Lloyd-Wright, the form and setting of Utzon’s masterwork have come to embody Sydney.
“The Opera House has shaped contemporary conceptions of the city among its own inhabitants and provides a reference point for visitors from all parts of the world.
“In recent years the state government and its consultants have attempted to capture its value in dollar terms, but its value to the city ultimately exceeds and resists all quantification.”
Construction and engineering
Dr Faham Tahmasebinia, School of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering said:”The Sydney Opera House heralded a new era of concrete, constructed during the relatively early days of prestressing in Australia, a method which increases the performance of concrete over time.”
“The early design concept was predicated on a reinforced shell construction, which proved far too problematic to construct. To realise Utzon’s vision, engineers and architects conceived a precast ‘rib’ solution, with all the segments stressed together on-site.”
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