Performing-arts centre on the harbour in Sydney, Australia.
Its dynamic, imaginative design, by the Danish architect Jørn Utzon (b. 1918), placed first in a 1956 competition and brought Utzon international fame. Construction posed a variety of problems, many resulting from the bold design, consisting of a series of organic, glittering white shell-shaped roofs. After several years of research, Utzon gave the vaults a more spherical geometry, making them easier and more economical to build. The roofs are made up of precast concrete sections held together by cables. The centre finally opened in 1973.