n April 2003 Jørn Utzon, at the age of 85, was awarded the Pritzker Prize ─architecture’s ‘Nobel’. The citation reads: ‘There is no doubt that Sydney Opera House is his masterpiece. It is one of the great iconic buildings of the twentieth century, an image of great beauty which has become known throughout the world─a symbol for not only a city, but a whole country and continent’.
The presentation of the prize places Utzon in the pantheon of the greatest contemporary architects but marks a career that failed to reach its full potential following the traumas of building the Opera House.
Since it opened in 173 the Opera House has repaid its A$100 million cost many times over as a tourist attraction and as a cultural center. As a brand it is priceless. The story of its construction is one of triumph and tragedy.
It is Utzon’s masterpiece, yet he did not complete the building; the creation of the huge oversailing roofs was a magnificent feat of engineering and collaboration, but the design team split apart amidst misunderstandings and recriminations.
