Sydney Opera House's architect steering revamp

By KATHY MARKS in Sydney

Nearly 40 years after Joern Utzon left Australia, vowing never to return, the visionary Danish architect who designed the Sydney Opera House is set to preside over a major facelift for the country's most famous landmark.

Utzon was forced off the project in 1966 after a bitter dispute about costs and has never seen his completed masterpiece, with its distinctive roof of billowing sails.

It was not until the building's 25th anniversary in 1998 that Australian authorities tried to heal the rift, inviting him to be principal design consultant on a $77 million refurbishment.

This week, he returned to Sydney in spirit, if not in person, to help to announce the first stage: construction of a colonnade and glass-walled foyer that will give visitors an unrivalled view of the harbour.

"I'm really delighted that we've been asked to work on [this]," he said in a recorded video message relayed to dignitaries gathered in the Opera House.

New South Wales Premier Bob Carr welcomed the 85-year-old's decision to oversee the revamp of the architectural icon.

"It is a symbol of reconciliation between the people and Government of New South Wales and this great architect who gave us Australia's greatest building," he said.

"Only to him would we entrust such a delicate charge."

Utzon, whose philosophy was "to work on the edge of the possible", won an international competition in 1954 to design an opera house at Bennelong Pt, in the shadow of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

His submission, chosen ahead of 233 others that included a structure in the shape of a gramophone trumpet, was notable for its daring modernism.

Work began in 1959, but the construction schedule grew ever more elastic - a four-year project ended up taking 17 years - while the budget soared from $8 million to $112 million.

Amid increasing public disquiet, Utzon was sacked by the NSW Government and left the country, angry and frustrated.

His plans were scrapped and a team of inexperienced local architects was brought in to complete the interior.

The saga enthralled Australians and later became the subject of the opera Eighth Wonder, written by composer Alan John and performed at the Opera House in 1995.

But the legacy of the epic fall-out was a structure whose inside spaces failed to match the breathtaking beauty of the exterior; one critic described it as "grand piano on the outside and rusty xylophone on the inside". Visiting performers regularly expressed amazement at the poor acoustics, while the resident Sydney Symphony Orchestra threatened to boycott it.

The renovations, which will begin in July, are intended to silence critics and help to restore Utzon's original vision.

The acoustics and lighting will be improved, and the notoriously cramped orchestra pit in the opera theatre enlarged.

The entrance hall is being redesigned, and the forecourt transformed into an outdoor performance venue.

The colonnade, inspired by Mayan temples and to be backed by nine glass panels, will be the first major alteration to the exterior since the Opera House opened in 1973. Holes will be punched in the concrete walls to create an airy foyer.

Utzon said: "The colonnade ... will attract people in daytime and will be a marvellous entrance for spectators in the evening."

Despite accepting the Government's olive branch, Utzon, who lives in Majorca, has resisted all entreaties to return to Australia. The authorities have tried to tempt him with plane tickets and cruise liner cabins, but to no avail.

One film producer even offered to fly him and his family out in his two Gulfstream jets, stopping as often as they wished en route.

The work will be supervised on the ground by Utzon's son and professional partner, Jan, in conjunction with a local architect, Richard Johnson.

Jan Utzon was at Mr Carr's side as the latter announced the ambitious plans this week.

Utzon's influence will outlast him, for he has drafted a set of design principles to govern all future redevelopment work. In his mellow old age, he has been gracious towards his former political masters, describing the Opera House as "a marvellous and inseparable part of my life".

Of the refurbishment, he says: "Like any fine instrument, it needs a little maintenance and fine-tuning from time to time."

His decision to accept the consultancy role, despite having retired in 1999, was greeted with relief.

The chairman of the Sydney Opera House Trust, Joseph Skrzynski, said the building had been "like an enchanted castle with a spell on it".

"No architect of any talent would consider working on it, so it had become something of a poisoned chalice. There was no way to go forward until we had gone backward."

- INDEPENDENT