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WSWS : Correspondence : Art & Culture

Sydney's Opera House--Not a World Heritage Item?

4 March 1999

Dear editor,

I recently came across your article "The Sydney Opera House: How government policy imperilled an architectural masterpiece" by Paul Bartizan. I liked the article very much and consider it important that the World Socialist Web Site is publishing information of this nature.

If I may, I would like to add my comments and hope this generates further discussion about the Sydney Opera House--a great architectural masterpiece--and the refusal of the Howard government to nominate the building for inclusion in UNESCO's world heritage list.

Many regard the Sydney Opera House view as one of the best urban design objects of this century and while Joern Utzon was presented with a special ceremonial key to the city of Sydney last year, his appeal to the politicians in Canberra to finally recognise the significance of this work of architecture for Australia was ignored.

What a sad situation. And how tragic that it is necessary to fight for recognition of a building which even the editors of Time magazine included in their selection of the five premier works of architecture of this century, about which they wrote : "[they] put down foundations in the psyche of their location; they may grow old but will never become dated" ( Time, 23/1998). For them the Opera House is a "union of unique structure and breathtaking location".

I agree entirely with the WSWS's assessment of the Sydney Opera House. In my opinion, the building is a splendid work of urban architectural art with very fascinating and harmonious sculptural qualities, uniquely designed and suited to Australia's most spectacularly beautiful urban façade and urban landscape.

Joern Utzon's reference to the Opera House as an "Australian" work of architecture could imply that he feels that it is insufficiently recognised in Australia because it was designed by a foreigner. But in our century there are few areas left in design that have clear national or ethnic roots. Urban architecture is not one of them. Even Sydney's elegant new key to the city includes German and Danish elements and was designed by a foreigner living in Australia who was neither German nor Danish. Four of the seven works shown in the Time essay on architecture were designed by foreigners.

In the last decades architectural practise has become increasingly internationalised. Le Corbusier, Time's architect of the century, is a good example: he was a self-exiled Swiss who lived in Paris and built in many countries.

Sydney's authorities were also working in this tradition when they decided to hold an international competition to make sure that they would get a sufficient number of interesting designs for their new opera house. It was a small miracle, and thanks to a courageous jury, that Utzon was awarded the first prize among some 300 entries. And it was a small wonder that the project actually got built and came out as it did despite his being fired, supposedly for unstructured and expensive planning.

From the many explanations and stories I heard during my stays in Sydney, including from people who worked for Joern Utzon until he left, I came to the conclusion that the main reason for the dismissal was Utzon's passion for finding the best possible solutions for his design, and his perception of how his work should be built and with what materials. All great architects function like this. And no one involved seems to have been very good at cost estimates or financial planning. I can only hope that Sydney's authorities will be extremely attentive to what is done in the vicinity of the Opera House, and in the Circular Quay and waterfront area.

I admire the public uproar and shock at the recently finished and highly objectionable apartment block on this most sensitive site at East Circular Quay. Although it would be expensive, it should indeed be demolished as many suggest. The authorities cannot go on without finally developing a long overdue and carefully worked out concept for the entire area, and a longer range strategy for implementing it. And it is not just the Opera House building that should be put on the world heritage list, the site is an integral element, particularly in this case, and it does not stop just behind the building. Almost any important work of architecture can be ruined by misconceived developments in its vicinity. Australia's most spectacularly fascinating and beautiful urban silhouette deserves the utmost care under any circumstances. To ignore this in the case of the Opera House would be a blow to urban aesthetics and could ruin the area for generations to come.

While Sydney's reconciliation with Utzon is fortunately well under way, the Howard government's refusal to nominate the Opera House for UNESCO's world heritage list is unjustified and difficult to understand considering the history of its design and planning process, developments since then and its immense symbolic value for Sydney and Australia. This decision should be reversed, the sooner the better.

Yours sincerely,

Fritz Stuber, Architect and Urbanist

First Visiting Lend Lease Professor of Urban Design for 1989 at the University of Sydney

See Also:
The Sydney Opera House: How government policy imperiled an architectural masterpiece
[4 December 1998]