The metaphorical expression of Nature in Joern Utzon's design for the Sydney Opera House

Both before and after his forced resignation from the charge of the Sydney Opera House (1956-66)in 1966, Danish Architect Joern Utzon (1918-2008) has cited Chinese architecture as one of the most important inspirational sources of his unfinished masterpiece. However, the significance of Chinese buil...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:arq : Architectural Research Quarterly 2015-12, Vol.19 (4), p.381-396
Main Authors: Chen-Yu, Chiu, Goad, Philip, Myers, Peter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analogies
Architecture
Collection
Culture
Historical buildings
Opera houses
Perception
Sirens
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Both before and after his forced resignation from the charge of the Sydney Opera House (1956-66)in 1966, Danish Architect Joern Utzon (1918-2008) has cited Chinese architecture as one of the most important inspirational sources of his unfinished masterpiece. However, the significance of Chinese building culture has largely been overlooked in historical accounts of Utzon's Opera House design. This is despite ample evidences suggesting several direct analogies of Chinese architecture in Utzon's design proposals. The evidence also indicates that one of the key Chinese sources for Utzon comes from the written works of Finland-born and Sweden-based art historian Osvald Siren ...e34ae>> (1879-1966). Accordingly, this paper aims to identify Utzon's perception of Chinese architecture from Siren's interpretation of this subject, and Utzon's eventual reinterpretation of this notion in his design of the Sydney Opera House. The article poses four questions. First, what were the socio-political contexts both of Siren and Utzon's approach to Chinese architecture? Second, how did Siren interpret Chinese architecture in his scholarly work? Third, what was the interrelationship between Siren and Utzon? And fourth, how did Utzon reinterpret Siren's concept in his design for the Sydney Opera House? To respond to these questions, the authors surveyed the literature associated with Siren and Utzon, reviewed their private collections, and undertook interviews with their friends, colleagues and followers. On this basis, the authors constructed a series of ideological analogies between Siren and Utzon's work, with particular emphasis on Utzon's design for the Sydney Opera House.
ISSN:1359-1355
1474-0516
DOI:10.1017/S1359135515000603