nomination by the Government of Australia - Sydney Opera House

… we’re here to nudge forward the frontiers of
science (Utzon quoted in Murray 2004: 152).
3.A CRITERIA UNDER WHICH INSCRIPTION IS PROPOSED
AND JUSTIFICATION FOR INSCRIPTION
The Sydney Opera House fulfi ls the defi nition of ‘monument’ according to Article 1 of
the World Heritage Convention (UNESCO 1972) as an architectural work of outstanding
universal value from the point of view of both art and science. The Sydney Opera
House meets criterion (i) set out in paragraph 77 of the Operational guidelines for the
implementation of the World Heritage Convention.
The Sydney Opera House is a work of human creative genius, and a masterful
architectural and engineering achievement. It represents an outstanding conjunction not
only of architecture and engineering but also of sculpture, landscape design and urban
design. It is an ensemble that has reconfi gured the way public architecture can defi ne
a city’s identity in the form of an iconic signature building (Goad 2005). It was a turning
point in the late Modern Movement, a daring and visionary experiment resulting in an
unparalleled building that defi ed categorisation and found an original style in which to
express civic values in monumental public buildings. The infl uences that resulted in the
Sydney Opera House’s unique form include organic natural forms and an eclectic range
of aesthetic cultural infl uences, brilliantly unifi ed in the one sculptural building. This was
made possible through engineering innovation on a grand scale. Moreover, the Sydney
Opera House’s signifi cance is intrinsically tied to its harbour-side site. Utzon’s design, an
extraordinarily appropriate response to its site, created an enormously successful urban
focus for the city of Sydney and captured the imagination of the world. The pioneering
collaborative design approach also set a precedent for best practice in building and the
engineering research to solve the unprecedented challenges was virtually unknown in the
building industry.
The outstanding universal values of the Sydney Opera House are demonstrated in the
building’s recognition as:
•
•
•
3.A (i) a masterpiece of late modern architecture;
- multiple strands of creativity,
- a great urban sculpture,
- masterful synthesis of architectural ideas,
3.A (ii) oustanding achievements in structural engineering and technological innovation;
3.A (iii) a world-famous iconic building of the 20th century.
These values are the result of the collective genius of Utzon and the team responsible
for the building’s construction.
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