This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. The diagram below shows how the design from orange peel to ‘shell’ roof evolved.Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The Sydney Opera House was opened in 1973 by Queen Elizabeth Jorn Utzon was one of the pioneers in the use of prefabricated modular forms and designing for sustainability. It is said that the shells of the 14 separate roofs, form a sphere if combined. Jorn Utzon claimed that the final design of the shells, was inspired by peeling an orange. The design of the ‘shells’ was one of the most difficult aspects of the building’s design. The roof structures of the Opera House are called ‘shells’. He looked upon nature for guidance when designing, as nature over time combined both efficiency and beauty, hand in hand. Utzon was influenced in his designs by bird wings, the shape and form of clouds, shells, walnuts and palm trees.

The design of the Sydney Opera House was inspired by nature, its forms, functions and colours. In 1950 he opened his own Architectural business. These included Mies van der Rohe and Charles Eames. He travelled widely and met many of the best known designers of the era. He studied architecture at the Copenhagen Royal Academy of Arts and much of his early work was in Sweden. He was born in 1918, the son of a naval engineer.

Jorn Utzon was a relatively unknown Danish architect in the 1950s, until he won the competition to design the National Opera House in Sydney Australia, in 1956.

PDF FILE - Jorn Utzon - Boxed Learning Exercise PDF FILE - CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE WORKSHEET Thanks to: 'Opera House Inspired by Nature' video, for information and pictures - Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, GPO Box 4274 Sydney NSW 2001 SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE- INSPIRED BY NATURE CLICK HERE FOR INDEX PAGE

When was the sydney opera house built