The design also demonstrated the power of collaboration between architects and engineers.

The design foreshadowed projects like the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain, where showstopping architecture became a global calling card for up-and-coming cities.

And tension between the government of New South Wales and the architect led to him quitting the project halfway through.īut the building’s iconic shell-like roof serves as a towering crescendo of the possibilities of modern architecture - an ingenious scheme that arguably has never really been surpassed. Engineering of the building required the use of early computers to calculate challenging geometries - work that helped secure the reputation of Ove Arup & Partners, one of the world’s eminent engineering firms. 1 tourist destination, with more than 8.2 million visitors a year, and the complex’s two main performance halls (along with several smaller venues) collectively host more than 2,000 shows a year, according to the Opera House’s website.ĭuring the 1960s, when it was largely built, however, its success was hardly guaranteed. Today, we take the success of the Opera House as a given.

For Australia, that structure is undoubtedly the Sydney Opera House. There are few structures on Earth that serve as the undisputed icons of their respective countries: the Eiffel Tower in France, the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil are examples. The Sydney Opera House’s iconic shell-like roof is a testament to the possibilities of modern architecture.

Opera house australia