In 1957 the Danish architect Jørn Utzon won an international competition that had drawn 233 entries from 32 countries. His design of soaring white shells on Bennelong Point seemed almost impossible to build.
Construction began in 1959, before the design was resolved. The breakthrough was geometric: every shell was derived from the surface of a single sphere, so the roof could be assembled from repeating precast concrete ribs. More than a million tiles, glossy white and matte cream, cover the shells.
Rising costs and disputes with the state government led Utzon to resign in 1966, and an Australian team led by Peter Hall completed the interiors. Queen Elizabeth II opened the building in 1973, ten years later than planned, at a final cost of A$102 million. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.
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