Design statement:
“I cannot see any hope for this grand building to reach its fulfilment, unless the situation concerning the approaches from Unilever House and the Botanic gardens is planned in accordance with the Opera House […] I only want you to preserve this portion of Bennelong Point for the future.”
– Jørn Utzon (letter to Davis Hughes, March 1966)
The area in question is not conducive to entry from East Circular Quay promenade. Once the Oyster Bar has been reached, there is little to interest the pedestrian in continuing his promenade north as he is confronted by a confusion of levels.
Central to the concept of the Opera House is the thesis of man-made plateaus differentiating the various functional areas from one another as well as the from the ordinary traffic in the city. The solution proposes a clear re-statement of the plateau concept by offering the pedestrian two clearly different levels – either down to the lower level along the water, or onto the top concourse leading to the main structure of the Opera House.
At a conceptual level, there is a crack in the surface which has resulted in the two plates separating into a higher and lower conjunction. The blade is symbolic of this separation. It is a clear organic form which discreetly presents itself as the entry to the Opera House itself. Fabricated in ribbed copper or brass, the blade is graphic yet subtle in its articulated, precise geometry. It houses an information booth, activity directions to the Opera House, tour guide facilities and a meeting point for the public.
The widening of the stair will entice people to descend to the lower concourse level to relax, to view, to eat. The wide staircase will ensure that the lower concourse becomes an extension of the East Circular Quay Promenade. Undercover access is reached from a covered walkway within the CML Site or immediately adjacent.
The proposed concept opens up the opportunity for commercially viable enterprises to stimulate the financial independence of the Opera House complex. A large semicircular group of upmarket shops could be laid out along the water, while brasserie-style restaurants could offer quality food for opera patrons. Thought should be given to building an Opera House Museum, as a means to attracted visitors to the lower concourse level.
Jurors’ comments
Jackie Cooper: The assessors unanimous identified this entry as the winner of the first AA prize. The scheme demonstrates the necessary qualities of architectural thought, research, resolution and presentation that the award seeks to celebrate and foster.
The clear vision and architectural delicacy and also the plausibility of the scheme make it a significant contender in the development contest that is surely to be fought out on this site, one of Sydney most important. The rare quality of inevitability that imbues this architectural idea results in large part from sheer simplicity and elegance. The scheme offers a sensitive and low-keyed denouement (at the same time pragmatic and poetic) to an architectural masterpiece.
Shane Murray: A true design investigation in that there is an observation of an existing state of affairs, a hypothesis and a speculation. The incremental development of a quite simple idea presented in an evocative manner. The design speculation is demonstrated in a manner which leaves little doubt as to the designer’s intentions and enables the viewer to assess the worth of these intentions. This project is enriched by using a significant set piece from the city as a generator, thereby extending the framework of investigation beyond the individual project.
Peter Elliott: Whilst there is a simple obviousness about the design idea, it is nonetheless impressive for its urban manners, dexterity and apparent east of fit. For this is part of the most significant urban site in the country and any architectural intervention must be clearly demonstrate its worth.
The designer extends Utzon’s concept of dealing with the ground plane. The design cleverly fits the plateau concept of two man-made plates (concourses) that could equally have been wrought by nature as “the big crack or land fault.” The bladed or wedged information building carries the ambiguity of gesture: is it man-made or natural phenomenon? The plan geometries are convincing, subtly working the two opposing “as found” natural curves of the waterline and the cliff face to the Botanical Gardens.
Entries to the 2021 AA Prize for Unbuilt Work can be made via the prize website until 21 August 2020.
Winners will be announced in the January/February 2021 issue of Architecture Australia and on ArchitectureAU.com.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
