Joern Utzon, Sydney Opera House Designer Died
Posted Nov 30, 2008 by Lindsay Britney
Sydney Opera House (Photo by Pierre Lesage/Flickr)
Jørn Utzon (1918-2008)
Danish architect Joern (Jørn) Utzon, the Pritzker Prize winner who designed the iconic Sydney Opera House, has passed away. He was 90 years old. Mr. Utzon died from a heart attack in his sleep in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Saturday November 29, 2008, reported AP.
At his later 30’s, Joern Utzon unexpectedly won the competition to design the Sydney Opera House in 1957. The designs he submitted were little more than preliminary drawings.
The House was constructed starting on 5 December 1958 and completely finished in 1973 with a total cost $103 million.
Mr. Utzon resigned in 1966 after he developed conflicts with with Australia’sthen Minister for Public Works Davis Hughes., which led the interior not to be completed to his original plan.
When the Opera House was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II, then Queen of Australia, on 20 October 1973, Jorrn Utzon was not invited to the ceremony, nor was his name mentioned.
In March 2003, Utzon was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Sydney for his work on the Opera House. In 2004, the first interior space rebuilt to match Utzon’s original design was opened, and renamed “The Utzon Room” in his honour. [Wikipedia]
#Permalink Tags: Australia, Death, Denmark, Joern Utzon, Sydney Opera House
