

These sections weigh up to 15 tons each…ġ4. Its roof is made of 2,194 pre-cast concrete sections.ġ3. The highest roof point is 67 metres above sea-level - the same as a 22-storey high buildingġ2.

The building is 185 metres long and 120 metres wide.ġ1. The Opera House’s sails were built using cranes made specifically for the job in France, each costing $AUS 100,000 (£59,000)ġ0. The Sydney Opera House’s construction cost $AUS 102 million (£60 million) – the original estimated cost was $AUS 7 million (£4.1 million).ĩ. When Queen Elizabeth II opened the Sydney Opera House on October 20, 1973, Utzon was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of Architects Australia – but was absent from the ceremony.Ĩ. The Sydney Opera House Trust took up communicating with Mr Utzon again in the late Nineties, and the architect was appointed as a design consultant for future works.ħ.

There were protests in the streets, demanding that Utzon be reinstated, but he left Australia in April of the same year, and never returned to see his design take shape.Ħ. Mr Utzon resigned as chief architect of the Opera House in February 1966, after a new Liberal government was elected and the Minister of Works stopped payments to him.
