The Sydney Opera House
If there is any building in Australia that serves as the country’s heart and soul, the Sydney Opera House is it. With its unorthodox architectural design by the late Jorn Utzon, it is the most famous building of the 20th century. The Sydney Opera House was ahead of its time as it pushed the boundaries of architecture, science, and engineering.
The Syndey Opera House is the busiest performance arts theatre in the Southern Hemisphere. The House can service 15,500 patrons at once on their 5 theaters. It was a shame that the Opera House did not allow any photography in their theaters, so I’ll just tell you about them. Everything inside the theater, from the shape of the walls, the materials used for the set, the angle of the seats, etc., is designed to enhance the experience. In fact, microphones are never used inside the theater. The acoustics are designed in such a way that you are able to hear what is being said on stage no matter where you sit. The walls are painted black so your attention is focused on the lit-up stage. There is no air conditioning inside the theater because the noise distracts from the performers. Instead they use a sophisticated cold air pipe system that circulates air for the audience.
The exterior of the Opera House is covered in over a million of these off-white tiles. There are actually about 17 different colored tiles. The tiles have a self-cleaning mechanism that rids itself of dirt whenever Sydney gets a good pour of rain.
This is John, our tour guide. He talked into a mic that fed into these headphones we were required to wear. This was to make sure that noise levels were kept at a minimum as he gave us the tour.
And we end with a beautiful view of the shore from inside the opera house.
Browse Timeline
Tweet StreetComments ( 4 )
Ooh very informative. I remember I stayed with my family in Sydney a few years ago, and our hotel room was across the river from the Opera House and the view at night and first thing in the morning was just gorgeous…Romany
Romany
xx
added these pithy words on
Dec 01 09 at
3:01 am
You’re very lucky. That is one magnificent edifice. Is it edifice or orifice? I’m too lazy to check.casanovaruffin
added these pithy words on
Dec 02 09 at
2:14 pm
Jeebuz. I can’t wait to see more. Edifice. Unless you’re talking about John’s nostrils.Maeko
added these pithy words on
Dec 02 09 at
2:26 pm
Lol @ Maeko, you bring this blog life.casanovaruffin
added these pithy words on
Dec 02 09 at
2:36 pm
Add a Comment
