Jørn Utzon Totally Explained

Everything about J Rn Utzon totally explained

Jørn Utzon, AC (born April 9, 1918) is a Danish architect most notable for designing the Sydney Opera House in Australia.

Biography

Utzon was born in Copenhagen as the son of a naval engineer, and grew up in Denmark. In 1957 he unexpectedly won the competition to design the Sydney Opera House, despite the fact that it was his first non-domestic design and his entry didn't meet the contest criteria; the designs he submitted were little more than preliminary drawings. One of the judges, Eero Saarinen, described it as "genius" and declared he couldn't endorse any other choice. In contrast, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe turned his back when introduced to Utzon.
Over several years Utzon gradually made major changes from his original concept designs and gradually developed a way to construct the large shells that cover the two halls, replacing the original elliptical shells with a design based on complex sections of a sphere. Utzon says his design was inspired by the simple act of peeling an orange: the 14 shells of the building, if combined, would form a perfect sphere.
Although Utzon had spectacular plans for the interior of these halls, he was unable to realize this part of his design. In mid-1965 the state Liberal government of Robert Askin was elected and Utzon soon found himself in conflict with the new Minister for Public Works, Davis Hughes. Attempting to rein in the escalating cost of the project, Hughes began questioning Utzon's designs, schedules and cost estimates, and he eventually stopped the payments to Utzon, who was forced to resign as chief architect in February 1966. He secretly left the country days later, never to return.
In an article in Harvard Design Magazine in 2005, (External Link

) Professor Bent Flyvbjerg argues that Utzon fell victim to a politically lowballed construction budget, which eventually resulted in a cost overrun of 1,400 per cent. The overrun and the scandal it created kept Utzon from building more masterpieces. This, according to Flyvbjerg, is the real cost of the Sydney Opera House.
   The Opera House was finally completed, and opened in 1973 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The architect wasn't invited to the ceremony, nor was his name mentioned.
In March 2003, Utzon was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Sydney for his work on the Opera House. Utzon's son accepted the award on his behalf as he himself was too ill to travel to Australia. Utzon has also been made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) and given the Keys to the City of Sydney. He has also been involved in redesigning the Opera House, and in particular, the Reception Hall, following an agreement made in 2000. Also, in 2003, he received the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest honor.
   In March 2006, Queen Elizabeth II opened the western colonnade addition to the building that was constructed by Utzon in the last years without his having been to Australia since 1966. His son, Jan, took his place in the opening ceremony instead, saying his father "is too old by now to take the long flight to Australia. But he lives and breathes the Opera House, and as its creator he just has to close his eyes to see it."
   On 29 June, 2007, the Sydney Opera House was declared a World Heritage site. >

Architectural works

Major built projects:

Water tower in Svaneke, Bornholm, Denmark, 1949-1951
Architect's own house, Hellebæk, Denmark, 1950-1952 image
Middelboe house, Holte, Denmark, 1953-1955 image
Kingohusene, courtyard housing in Elsinore, 1956-1960 image
Elineberg Housing, Helsingborg, Sweden, 1954-1966. Built by Swedish partners Erik and Henry Andersson image
Planetstaden housing project in Lund, Sweden, 1956-1958. Built by Swedish partners Erik and Henry Andersson.
Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia, 1956-1973
Fredensborghusene, courtyard housing, Fredensborg, Denmark, 1959-1965 image
Melli Bank, Teheran, Iran, 1959-1960 archnet page
Hammershøj care centre, Elsinore, Denmark, 1962-1966. Built by Birger Schmidt. image
Bagsværd Church, Bagsværd, Denmark, 1968-1976 image
Espansiva building system, pre-fabricated single family houses, Denmark, 1969
Can Lis, Architect's own house, Mallorca, Spain, 1971-1973 image
National Assembly of Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait, 1972-1984 archnet page
Paustian Furniture Store, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1985-1987 image
Can Feliz, Mallorca, Spain, 1991-1994

Major unbuilt projects:

High School in Elsinore, Denmark, 1958-1962

Architect's own house, Bayview, Sydney, Australia, 1963-1965

Museum dedicated to the work of artist Asger Jorn, Silkeborg, Denmark, 1963

Theatre, Zurich, Switzerland, 1964-1970

Jeita Theatre, Lebanon, 1968.

Stadium, Jedda, Saudi Arabia, 1969

Literature

Arkitektur (magazine), Copenhagen 1947 #7-9, essay Tendenser i nutidens arkitektur by Jørn Utzon and Tobias Faber

Arkitektur (magazine), Copenhagen 1970 #1, essay Additiv arkitektur by Jørn Utzon

Zodiac 5 (magazine), Milan 1959

Zodiac 10 (magazine), Milan 1962, essay Platforms and Plateaus: Ideas of a Danish Architect by Jørn Utzon

Zodiac 14 (magazine), Milan 1965

Sigfried Gideon: Space, Time and Architecture. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1967

Kenneth Frampton: Studies in Tectonic Culture. Cambridge, Mass. & London: MIT-Press, 1995. ISBN 0-262-56149-2

Françoise Fromonot: Jørn Utzon, The Sydney Opera House. Corte Madera, California: Gingko Press, 1998. ISBN 3-927258-72-5

Richard Weston: Utzon - Inspiration, Vision, Architecture. Denmark: Edition Bløndal, 2002. ISBN 87-88978-98-2

J.J. Ferrer Forés: Jørn Utzon. Obras y Proyectos. Works and Projects. Spain: GG 2006. ISBN 978-84-252-2060-9Further Information

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