About Opera House
In 1957, a young Danish architect, dreaming of Bennelong Point, designed a masterpiece which pushed the boundaries of creativity and science – and put Sydney on the map forever.
The Sydney Opera House is one of the architectural wonders of the world – arguably the best known building of the 20th century, with its design and construction involving countless innovative design ideas and construction techniques.
Jørn Utzon was this young Danish architect and in 1999, aged 81, he was re-engaged to develop a set of Design Principles to act as a guide for all future changes to the building.
This is believed to be an unprecedented situation – to have the architect of one of the world's most iconic buildings back working on his creation more than 30 years after he was last involved.
The building's cultural, heritage and architectural importance will now be protected forever, thanks to its inclusion in 2007 on the World Heritage List and in 2003, on the State Heritage Register, exactly 30 years after its official opening.
Jørn Utzon (now 89), said in 2003: "To me it is a great joy to know how much the building is loved, by Australians in general and by Sydneysiders in particular".