- 26 DEC 2019
Commentary from an Enlightened Citizen
The Sydney Opera House is Australia’s best-known landmark. It is a multipurpose performing arts facility whose largest venue, the 2,679-seat Concert Hall, is host to symphony concerts, choir performances, and popular music.
This iconic and unique sculptural form was designed by a Danish designer and architect Jørn Utzon.
When Utzon submitted his design to the Sydney Opera House competition in 1957, he was a young, unknown architect from Hellenbaek[1]
Today, even though it cost 14x the budget of AUS$7 million (AUS$102 million) when completed in 1973 and, was 10years behind schedule[2] it remains today, a monument of excellence.
Looking at the stats above, one might argue that during construction there was tremendous waste and, the answer is yes. There was in fact many delays due to lack of design information, rework, etc (click on the video link below).
Interestingly though, Delotte in 2013 reported that the The Sydney Opera House is one of Australia’s key assets, contributing $775 million to the Australian economy every year and with a cultural and iconic value of $4.6 billion[3], Wow!
In Trinidad there are so many iconic sites that could be monetized through tourism – just take a walk around the Queens Park Savanah!
Cheers to the present Government for restoring, Mille Fleur, White Hall, Stollmeyers Castle and the President’s House. Let’s share it with the world and encourage the younger generation to participate in preserving our Caribbean heritage.
For video, click link: https://youtu.be/51m-YvjmijI
References
[1] Magazine, W. (n.d.) Noero Architects’ beach house on the South African coast | Wallpaper*. Retrieved 26 Dec 2019, from: https://flip.it/BnANrt.
[2] , (n.d.) YouTube. Retrieved 26 Dec 2019, from: https://youtu.be/51m-YvjmijI.
[3] , (n.d.) Sydney Opera House worth $4.6b to Australia | Deloitte Australia | Consumer Business industry. Retrieved 26 Dec 2019, from: https://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/media-releases/articles/sydney-opera-house-worth-australia-171013.html#.
