Though he had never visited the site, he used his maritime background to study naval charts of Sydney harbour. It was Utzon’s life and travels that had shaped his ideas for the Sydney Opera House. Click here to view the original drawings by Utzon Utzon himself was sure it could be built and in the pioneering spirit present in Sydney at the time, construction went ahead. This is quite normal for competition projects. The sketches and “geometrically undefined” curves of course needed to be developed for the building to be built. Utzon’s competition entry was a schematic design, clearly explaining the concept for the building. After having won a number of smaller architectural competitions, Utzon submitted his vision for the Sydney Opera House to the New South Wales Government. The competition attracted more than 200 entries from around the world.

In 1956 the New South Wales Premier, Joe Cahill, announced an international competition for the design of an opera house for Sydney. On graduating in 1942, he worked in Sweden until the end of World War II. A keen sailor, Utzon originally intended to follow his father as a naval engineer, but opted to study Architecture at the Copenhagen Royal Academy of Arts. His father was a naval architect and engineer and director of the local shipyard. With his vision the City of Sydney was to become an international city. The architect of Sydney Opera House, Jørn Utzon was a relatively unknown 38 year old Dane until Januwhen his entry, was announced winner of the ‘International competition for a national opera house at Bennelong Point, Sydney’.

Sydney opera house architect