The Sydney Opera House is an architectural masterpiece. The Sydney Opera House is the symbol of Australia's largest city

(in English - Sydney Opera House) is a symbol of the large city Australia and a landmark of the entire Australian continent. What can I say, even within the whole world this is one of the most famous and easily recognizable buildings. The sail-shaped shells that form the roof of the theater make it unique and unlike any other structure on Earth. Since the building is surrounded by water on three sides, it looks like a frigate sailing.

Opera building along with famous bridge The Harbor Bridge is the hallmark of Sydney, and, of course, all of Australia is proud of it. The Sydney Opera House has been considered a World Heritage Site since 2007 and is protected by UNESCO. It is officially recognized as an outstanding building in the world modern architecture.

History of creation

The Sydney Opera House (see photo in the article) was opened in October 1973 by Queen Elizabeth II of England. The building was designed by a Danish architect in 2003, and he was awarded for this. The project proposed by Utzon was very original, bright and beautiful; the fan-shaped roofs rising above the bay gave the building a romantic look. As the architect himself explained, he was inspired to create such a project by orange peel, cut into sectors, from which hemispherical and spherical shapes could be made. Indeed, everything ingenious is simple! Experts noted that initially the project did not give the impression of a real architectural solution, but was more like a sketch. And yet it was brought to life!

Construction

On the site where the Sydney Opera House is now located (the territory of Cape Bennelong), until 1958 there was a simple tram depot. Construction of the Opera began in 1959, but seven years later, in 1966, Jorn Utzon left the project. Architects from his team continued work, and in 1967 the exterior decoration was completed. It took another six years to bring the building to perfection and complete decorative work. Utzon was not even invited to the opening of the theater in 1973, and the bronze plaque located near the entrance to the building does not contain his name. Nevertheless, the Sydney Opera House itself serves as a monument to its author and creator; every year it attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world. It is worth noting that the building is listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

Architecture

The building occupies an area of ​​2.2 hectares, the length of the structure is 185 meters, and the width reaches 120 meters. The entire building weighs 161 thousand tons and stands on 580 piles, lowered to a depth of twenty-five meters in the water. The Sydney Opera House is an Expressionist building with an innovative and radical design. The roof frame includes two thousand concrete sections connected to each other. The entire roof is covered with beige and white ceramic tiles - this combination of colors creates an interesting movement effect.

Inside the theater

The Sydney Opera House has five main halls, which host symphony concerts, theater and chamber performances, and the building also has opera and small drama stages, theatre studio, drama theatre, simulated stage and Utzon Room. The theater complex also contains other halls for various events, a recording studio, four gift shops and five restaurants.

  • The main concert hall seats 2,679 spectators and also houses the symphony orchestra.
  • The opera stage has a seating capacity of 1,547, and is also home to the Australian Ballet and the Australian Opera.
  • The Drama Theater seats up to 544 people and hosts performances by artists from the Sydney Theater Company and other groups.
  • Small dramatic scene- perhaps the most comfortable hall of the Opera. It is designed for 398 spectators.
  • The theater studio is a hall with a changing configuration that can accommodate up to 400 people.

Sydney Opera House: interesting facts

In the Opera there hangs the largest one in the world, which was specially made in France according to a sketch by the artist Coburn. It is called the "Sun and Moon Curtain" and each half measures 93 square meters.

In the main concert hall of the theater there is the world's largest mechanical organ with 10.5 thousand pipes.

The electricity consumption in the building is equivalent to the energy consumption of a city with a population of 25 thousand people. Every year, 15.5 thousand light bulbs are replaced here.

The Sydney Opera House was built largely thanks to funds raised from the State Lottery.

Every year the Opera hosts about three thousand concerts and other events, which are attended by up to two million spectators annually.

The Sydney Opera House is open to the general public 363 days a year, except on Christmas Day and Good Friday. On other days the Opera operates around the clock.

Although the stepped roof of the Opera is very beautiful, it does not provide the necessary acoustics in concert halls. The solution to the problem was the construction of separate ceilings that reflect sound.

The theater has its own opera written about it in its program. Its title is “The Eighth Miracle.”

The first singer to perform on the stage of the Sydney Opera House was Paul Robeson. Back in 1960, when full swing The construction of the theater was underway, he climbed onto the stage and sang the song “Ol’ Man River” for the lunching workers.

In 1980, Arnold Schwarzenegger received the title “Mr. Olympia” in bodybuilding competitions in the Main Concert Hall of the theater.

In 1996, when the Crowded House group gave a farewell concert at the Sydney Opera House, it was recorded greatest number spectators throughout the history of the theatre. This concert was broadcast in all corners of the planet on television.

Finally

The Sydney Opera House is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. On both sides of the ocean, many people come to the conclusion that this is the most beautiful and outstanding structure that was built in the twentieth century. It's hard to disagree with this statement!

Sydney is the oldest and most beautiful city in Australia. Today it is impossible to imagine it without the Sydney Opera House. Since the opening of this majestic Opera, this building has been recognized as the symbol of this extraordinary city.

Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is located in beautiful place, on Bennelong Point, near the Harbor Bridge. Before the construction of the opera, a fort was located in this area, and after it a transport depot.

Construction of the opera house started in 1959 and lasted for 4 years. Presented for the first time Sydney theater Elizabeth II, Queen of England October 20, 1973

Designed the opera famous architect Jorn Utzon. The opera house building is located on an area of ​​2.2 hectares, its length is 185 m and its width is 120.

The construction of the opera house includes about a dozen halls of different sizes for all kinds of gatherings. There are 2.5 thousand seats in the concert hall, 1.5 thousand seats in the opera hall, and drama theater over 500 seats, and there are also a couple of small halls, one of the halls is located in the open-air courtyard.

In addition to these halls, the Sydney Opera House houses 2 stages and many entertainment venues. In front of the theater on the square there are continuously free performances and concerts. Here you can listen to national music.

At the same time, the theater can host up to 4 different performances on different stages.

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On the territory of the opera there are 6 bars and 4 restaurants, here visitors after the end of the performance and during intermission can eat and drink refreshing cocktails. There are also numerous souvenir shops for tourists.

In Sydney, the Opera House is one of the extraordinary structures of modern architecture. The property of the Sydney Opera House is the curtain, listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest on the planet. And another asset of the opera house is the largest organ on the planet, numbering 10,500 pipes, which is also listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

Experts have calculated that since the opening of the opera, almost 40 million people have visited it. tourists from various countries, which exceeds the number of residents of all of Australia.

Entry into the building is free, but visiting the opera itself is very difficult. You need to buy a ticket to the opera a couple of months in advance. price policy quite high.

Excursions are held here for visitors - every day from 9 to 17 hours. In addition, every morning at 7 am there is a performance with breakfast.

In 2007, the World Heritage Site UNESCO included the Sydney Theater in its famous register.

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Sydney Opera House - Outstanding architectural structure XX century It was nominated for the title of a new wonder of the world, and was among the finalists. Listed by UNESCO, this building is a popular tourist attraction in Australia.

The Sydney Opera House is located in the local harbor, on Cape Bennelong point. The building was built on 580 concrete piles driven into the bottom. Its length is 183 m, width - 118, and occupied area - more than 21.5 thousand m2. The maximum height of the building is 67 m.

Interesting Facts about the Sydney Opera House relate not only to the history of construction and architectural implementation (we will discuss them below). No other theater has a work about him in its repertoire. The opera “The Eighth Miracle” is the only precedent.

History of the Sydney Opera House

Sydney until the middle of the 20th century. did not have an opera house at all. Guest conductor of the local symphony orchestra Eugene Goosens considered this situation unacceptable. The Sydney authorities agreed with him, but did not have the funds for construction. In 1954, they launched a fundraiser that lasted two decades. During this period, approximately AUD 10,000,000 was collected. The initially declared cost of the construction of 7,000,000 AUD ultimately turned out to be 10,200,000 AUD actually spent.

According to the terms of the announced competition, the limited territory of Cape Bennelong was designated as the site for the construction of the theater. The main hall with 3 thousand seats of the designed building was reserved for opera and ballet. The small hall for 1200 spectators was planned for chamber theater and musical performances. Among 233 competitors, the young Danish architect Jorn Utson won. According to his design, the building externally resembled a multi-sail ship on the surface of the water surrounding the cape.

The work, which began in 1959, lasted 14 years instead of the planned four, extending the construction date until 1973. The delay had both objective and subjective reasons. The first includes the authorities' requirement to add two additional halls. And the sail-shaped roof shells originally designed by Jörn Utson had acoustic disadvantages. It took the architect several years to find an alternative technical solution. The new vault turned out to be too heavy for the foundation made, and a new one had to be made.

Additional expenses and delays in construction strained Utson’s relationship with local authorities, and he left Sydney. In 1966, local architects continued construction. According to many experts, this had a negative impact on the interior of the building. The inside of the theater is significantly inferior to the stunning façade.

The new Sydney building actually opened on 28 September 1973 with Sergei Prokofiev's War and Peace. The official ceremony took place on October 20 with the participation of the British monarch Elizabeth II, who is the formal head of Australia.

The architect of the Sydney Opera House was not present at the opening, and was not even mentioned. His name is not on the authors’ bronze plaque at the entrance either. True, in the same year the local Institute of Architects awarded Jorn Utson a gold medal. And in 2003, he received the Pritzker Prize for his project, the highest award for architects.

In 1999, Jörn Utson nevertheless designed the reconstruction of the Reception Hall, which was later renamed in his honor. The work was led by Jorn's son, architect Jan Utson. And Jorn himself did not return to Sydney after 1966. He died in 2008 without ever seeing his famous creation in person. The floodlights illuminating the Sydney Opera House were turned off for an hour in memory of the great architect.

Sydney Opera House by its architect and architect

Opera houses are usually built in classic style. In contrast, the Sydney Opera House is a shining example architectural style expressionism. Unique roof in the shape of sails different sizes. Surrounded by three sides From a distance, the building looks like a large multi-sail ship moored in Sydney Harbor. That's exactly how I saw it future theater its architect. He said that he wanted to take viewers away from their usual routine into a world of fantasy where actors and musicians live.

The area allocated for construction was limited. Projects rejected by the competition jury had general disadvantage- bulkiness. Jorn Utson solved this problem by shifting attention to the architectural dominant of the building - the roof. Its total diameter is 150 m. The roof frame consists of 2 thousand concrete sections and weighs 30 tons. The two largest sails crown both main halls, originally conceived. Under the smallest sail is the Bennelong restaurant. The entire structure is secured with metal cables with a total length of 350 km.

The uneven roof height initially caused acoustic problems. They were removed using a sound-reflecting ceiling with special gutters. The latter, in addition to their practical function, also served an aesthetic one, emphasizing the arches of the stage.

The top of the roof-sails is covered with white polished and creamy matte azulejo tiles (Portuguese tiles). It was specially made for the theater. Matte tiles predominate along the edges, while shiny ones in the center, which made it possible to create an iridescent effect. Over a million pieces of tile were required to cover a total area of ​​1.62 hectares. The mechanical laying method made it possible to achieve ideal evenness, unattainable with manual cladding.

Although the roof sails appear white from a distance, they change color depending on the lighting. As the architect said, the sun and clouds will make the roof come alive; you will never get tired of looking at it. He turned out to be right.

Sydney Opera House inside

The functional purpose of the main halls has undergone changes. The main hall, originally planned for opera and ballet performances, it was decided to repurpose it as a concert venue. The opera hall itself became the second largest hall. Now the complex has 6 main halls.

  • Concert Hall (Concert) for 2679 spectators. It houses one of the world's largest organs with 10 thousand pipes. The stage measures 17*11 m and can be expanded to include 85 front seats.
  • Opera Theater (Opera) seats 1547 spectators. His tapestry curtain, called “Solar”, is the largest on the planet.
  • Drama Theatre, with a capacity of 544 spectators, is used for theater and dance performances. His dark tapestry curtain is called “Moonlight”.
  • In the Playhouse hall with 398 seats, chamber events are held theatrical performances, lectures and film screenings. The hall's stage can be expanded in two stages, sacrificing 46 seats.
  • The Studio hall, opened in 1999, can accommodate 364 lovers of avant-garde plays, modern music or corporate events.
  • Jorn Utson's small hall is decorated with a wool tapestry in bright colors, woven according to his sketch.

The theater complex includes about a thousand different rooms. In addition to the halls, the building contains rehearsal rooms, theater platforms, a recording studio, shops, cafes, restaurants and numerous other facilities. It is not difficult for a person who does not know the layout of the theater to get lost in it.

There is an anecdotal case with a novice courier who delivered a parcel. He got confused in the premises and ended up on stage during the performance. Fortunately, one of the actors was not taken aback and said: “Finally, the package was delivered!” Viewers considered his line part of the plot.

Another comical incident occurred during the performance of Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov. Her decorations included real chickens. One of them flew from the stage onto the musician’s head. After this, a net was installed over the orchestra pit.

Theater tickets

The Sydney Opera House, Bennelong point, Sydney NSW 2000, hosts about three thousand cultural events annually, which attract millions of spectators. You can get acquainted with the repertoire and order tickets on the official website.

300 thousand tourists annually visit the theater as part of organized excursions. They are held from 9am to 5pm every day except Christmas Day and Good Friday, and last about an hour.

The cost of a regular excursion is 35 AUD. Evening excursions combined with a performance, as well as dinner in a restaurant or cafe, are also practiced. For example, an excursion and Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute” will be well complemented by dinner at the Mozart bistro.

Sydney Opera House

Sydney is rightfully considered the most beautiful city Australia and one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Sydney is located in the hills overlooking a magnificent bay that all year round fills many ships. Business card Sydney is the Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge, the grandeur of which has amazed tourists for many decades.








When we say “Australia” or “Sydney”, we immediately imagine the quaint building of the Sydney Opera House. Resembling a swan or a surreal ship trying to unfurl its sails, or gigantic shells, the Opera building is main symbol Sydney.


SYDNEY OPERA. At the heart of the Opera House project is the desire to bring people from the world of daily routine to the world of fantasy, where musicians and actors live.
The Sydney Opera House is the only building of the 20th century that stands on a par with such great architectural symbols of the 19th century as Big Ben, the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower. Along with the Hagia Sophia and the Taj Mahal, this building belongs to the highest cultural achievements of the last millennium.


Almost every person has heard about the Sydney Opera House. However, few of us know that in addition to this wonderful building, the port and the port bridge are also considered the symbol of the Australian city. The ensemble of three buildings in Sydney is the subject of “hunting” by photographers, because the view is simply amazing. It’s no secret that the architect’s idea of ​​creating such a roof for the opera was inspired by the sails in the harbor.


Let's delve a little into the history of the creation of the Sydney Opera House and perhaps we will understand why today this building has surpassed the port in its popularity - the previous unofficial symbol of the city. Back in 1954, a competition was announced, the winner of which could realize his idea. Then 233 highly qualified specialists from 32 countries immediately wanted to participate in the competition. The architect who received the right to realize his idea was the little-known Dane Jorg Utzon. He, like almost all the other contestants, only knew about the place where the opera would be located, but had never been there. The only help for him was photographs of the area. Uzton found inspiration, which has already been mentioned in passing, in the city port (he was very impressed by the luxurious white sails) and, to some extent, in the temple buildings of the ancient Mayan and Aztec peoples, which he visited in Mexico
The idea of ​​Jörg Uzton turned out to be so new, one might even say revolutionary, that the builders took on it, despite its great complexity. However, the complexity was only one of the rough edges on the way to the implementation of the project - it was soon discovered new problem. With a stated cost of $7 million and a implementation period of 10 years, the builders failed to meet either the deadlines or the cost. Over the course of 20 years, the project “ate up” more than $100 million, and more than once the city council had the issue of curtailing the expensive project on its agenda. It is worth recalling that at the beginning of the second half of the last century, money was much more expensive than it is today. But the government men of Sydney, with exceptional ingenuity, solved the problem of lack of funding - the Sydney Opera House was built... at the expense of the lottery.


Clouds constantly gathered around the project, it was showered with a stream of criticism, and in 1966 Uzton could not stand it. Technical, financial and bureaucratic failures forced him to step away from the leadership of the project. The main technical challenge, along with its aesthetic perfection, were the giant concrete sails. The architects called them among themselves “elliptical paraboloids,” and in fact it turned out that it was not possible to construct them in their original form, and accordingly the entire project had to be redone. It took many hours of work and complex technical calculations to rework the project, but in the end the opera was built. The version of the building that we see today was a triumph not only of Utzon’s project, but also the embodiment of the technical thought of the Australian architects who were involved in the implementation of his idea.


The work was completed in 1973, and the opening ceremony of the Sydney Opera House took place on October 20 of the same year. An unusually large number of people attended famous people, but the main guest was Queen Elizabeth II of England. According to numerous reviews, it is the building of the Sydney Opera House that has not been surpassed to this day - it is considered the most beautiful building built since the end of the Second World War. Photographers and connoisseurs of all things beautiful claim that it is best to admire this miracle of architecture and design from the stern of the ship, then the building turns into a kind of castle in the air or a white-winged swan ready to take off




The Sydney Opera House is a complex of almost 1000 rooms, home to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Australian Opera, Australian Ballet, Sydney Theater Company, Sydney Dance Company,
as well as several other small halls, one of which is located in the open-air courtyard.




Those who are not completely amazed by the appearance of the Sydney Opera House are completely unsettled interior decoration opera, the style of which was called “space age gothic”. Theater curtain, woven in France, is the largest in the world. The area of ​​each half of this miracle curtain is 93 m2. The record holder is also a huge mechanical organ concert hall– it has 10,500 pipes. Under the opera's vaults there were five halls for various performances, as well as a cinema and two restaurants. The opera hall can accommodate 1,550 spectators at once, and the concert hall - 2,700. The Sydney Opera House has become home to a symphony orchestra, a philharmonic choir and a city theater.






The sail-shaped shells that form the roof make this building unlike any other in the world. Now it is one of the most famous and easily recognizable buildings in the world, a symbol of Sydney and one of the main attractions of Australia. The Sydney Opera House is recognized as one of the outstanding buildings of modern architecture in the world.





The Sydney Opera House finds its absolute charm at night - when it is flooded with lantern lights.




The Sydney Opera House not only built on new heights music, but also became a symbol of the entire country.


The port bridge and its design have always caused smiles among local residents. Designed by Australian engineer John Job Crewe Bradfield, the bridge was nicknamed the coat hanger. Officially, this functional steel structure bears his name - Bradfield Highway. Grey colour The construction of the bridge is explained by the cheapness of the paint, which was used during the crisis years of the bridge’s creation - from 1923 to 1932. The total length of the bridge is 1150 meters, and the length of the spans between the arched trusses is 503 meters. The maximum height of the bridge is 135 meters relative to the water level. Tourists walking across this bridge will be able to enjoy superb views of the bustling port and the whole of Sydney.






It's hard to imagine Sydney without the Opera!


There are quite conflicting opinions about Australia's most famous building, the Sydney Opera House. Some consider it a magnificent monument to a frozen melody. Others are confused by the amazing shape of the roof of this structure: for some it resembles huge shells, for others it resembles the sails of a Galleon blown by the wind, others associate them with the ears of angels listening to the singing, and there is also an opinion that the Sydney theater is very similar to a washed-up white whale.

In short, there are so many people, so many opinions, but no one doubts the fact that the Sydney Opera House is man-made symbol Australia.

This amazing building is located in Sydney, the largest city in Australia, in the Bennelong Point harbor (on the map it can be found at the following coordinates: 33° 51′ 24.51″ S, 151° 12′ 54.95″ E).

The Sydney Opera House has gained worldwide fame primarily due to its roof, made in the shape of sails (shells) of different sizes located one behind the other, which make it unlike any other theater in the world. The facade of the opera turned out to be so interesting, unusual, and therefore recognizable that it is considered one of the most outstanding buildings of modern architecture, which has been included in the list for several years now world heritage UNESCO.

The creator of this unique building, Jorn Watson, is the only person in the world whose work was recognized by this organization during his lifetime (he died a year after this event, in 2008).

Description

The Opera House in Australia is primarily unusual in that, unlike other buildings of this type, made in the classical style, it is a striking example of expressionism, demonstrating A New Look on architecture. The Sydney Opera House is surrounded by water on three sides and is built on stilts.

The area of ​​the theater is huge and amounts to 22 thousand m2: its length is 185 m, width is 120 m, and in the building itself there is great amount premises, including several theater halls, many small studios and theater platforms, as well as restaurants, bars and shops where anyone can buy a souvenir of visiting the theater.

The main premises are four halls:

  • The concert hall is the most large room theater that can accommodate 2,679 spectators. It is here that the largest organ in the world is installed: it consists of 10 thousand pipes;
  • Opera House - this hall seats 1,507 spectators, and on its stage you can see not only opera, but also ballet;
  • Drama Theater – designed for 544 people;
  • The Small Dramatic Stage seats 398 people and is considered the most comfortable room in the opera.

Sail roof

The most remarkable part of the building, thanks to which the Sydney Opera House has become one of the most interesting theaters in the world, is its roof, made in the form of shells or sails located one after another. The roof, whose height is 67 m and diameter is 150 m, consists of more than 2 thousand sections and weighs about 30 tons.

The structure is secured using metal cables, the total length of which is 350 km. The two main sinks are located above the opera's two largest rooms. Other sails are located above the smaller rooms, and below the smallest one is one of the restaurants.

The top of the sinks is mechanically covered with white polished and cream matte tiles, resulting in a completely smooth surface - an effect that would hardly be achieved by laying it by hand. Interesting fact: despite the fact that from a distance it may seem as if the roof is painted White color, depending on the lighting, it constantly changes its shade.


This roof structure looks very beautiful and original, but during construction, due to the uneven height of the roof, problems with acoustics arose inside the building, and in order to solve the problem, a sound-reflecting ceiling had to be made separately. For this purpose, special gutters were made that can perform both practical and aesthetic functions: reflecting sound and drawing attention to the arches located above the front of the stage (the largest gutter is about 42 meters long).

Author of the idea

Interesting fact: building an opera house in Sydney was the idea of ​​the British Sir Eugene Goossens, who arrived in Australia as a conductor to record a concert on the radio. One can only imagine his surprise when he discovered that there was no opera house in Sydney.

The city also lacked large audience facilities where Sydneysiders could come to listen to music.

Therefore, the decision to do everything in order to build a theater in which spectators will have the opportunity to get acquainted with both classic and latest musical works, was accepted by him immediately. He immediately began searching for a suitable place for construction - it turned out to be the rocky cape of Bennelong Point, near which there was an embankment, which was a key node, since local residents They transferred from ferries to trains or buses.

Having found a suitable location (there was a tram depot here at that time, which was later demolished), Goossens carried out a corresponding campaign and, infecting a lot of people with his idea, influential people Sydney, got the government to allow the construction of the Opera House. The authorities immediately announced international competition for the best project. And then things stalled: Goossens made enemies. After one of his international trips, customs officers discovered the “Black Mass” items, fined him, fired him from his job - and he was forced to leave Australia, despite all the assurances that the things did not belong to him.

Contest

More than two hundred works from all over the world were sent to the competition. One more important point The problem was that Goossens not only managed to select a qualified commission, but also gave a description of the competition project.

The project was to include two halls - one for larger productions, the second for small productions. The building had to have rooms where rehearsals could be held, props could be stored, and there would also be space for restaurants.

The task was complicated by the fact that the area on which it was planned to build the structure had rather limited dimensions, since it was surrounded on three sides by water. Therefore, most of the projects were rejected for one simple reason: they looked too bulky, and the facade of the building was depressing.


And only one work attracted the attention of the jury members, forcing them to return to the project over and over again: in the sketch, the theaters were placed close to each other, the problem of bulkiness was eliminated thanks to the emphasis on the white roof in the form of sails, and the author suggested storing the scenery and theatrical props in special recesses, thus solving the problem of the wings.

The author of the work turned out to be the Dane Jorn Watson (this architect had many similar original projects, but this one was one of the few that was implemented). Despite the fact that the project he presented was a sketch, the cost of the work was estimated at 7 million Australian dollars. Dollars, which was an acceptable price. Money for the start of construction was raised through a lottery.

Construction works

While the project was approved, it was obvious that there was still a lot of work to be done on it (some issues have not been resolved to this day). The main problem was how to do non-standard shape roof, especially since there is no similar experience in the world this moment didn't exist.

Watson solved this problem by giving each sink the shape of a triangle, assembling it from smaller curved triangles, covered with tiles mechanically during manufacture. After this, the sails were installed on concrete ribs (frame ribs), located in a circle - this made it possible for the roof to get a finished and harmonious look.

This form gave rise to problems with the acoustics of the hall, which, although the architect was later able to solve, entailed considerable financial expenses (for example, since the new vault turned out to be much heavier than the previous one, it was necessary to blow up the already made foundation and begin to build a stronger and more durable one).

Instead of the estimated 7 million Australian. dollars construction cost 102 million. Construction proceeded at a very slow pace, which could not help but attract the attention of local deputies and opponents of the architect.

And after the Labor party, which supported construction, lost the support of the population and the opposition came to power, the money raised from the lottery was first frozen (fortunately, there was an excuse), and then completely used for the construction of roads and hospitals, forcing Watson in 1966 quit your job and leave Sydney forever.

After this, Hall was appointed chief architect, who, although he managed to complete the construction in 1973, according to many experts, the work he carried out significantly spoiled the appearance of the building, and the interior turned out to be unremarkable ( interesting fact, during the preparation of the Olympics in Australia in 2000, the Australians invited Watson to return and finish work on the opera, agreeing to do whatever he said, but he refused).

This is how it turned out that the Sydney Opera House, which is one of the most magnificent buildings of our time, which is mentioned along with the Taj Mahal and other wonders of the world, although it looks magnificent on the outside, is no different inside. True, this did not prevent the building from taking part in the competition for the title of one of the seven wonders of the world and, although it did not become a winner, it was among the main contenders.