The Saga of Sydney Opera House

by Peter Murray

Peter Murray's compelling and highly readable biography of the building presents both sides of the story. Using previously unpublished files and papers, Murray has managed to unravel one of the most intriguing architectural controversies of recent times - what really happened when they built Sydney Opera House...

164 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Demi · Rating 3 out of 5]

wish i hadn’t skimmed so much but some of the details, however well researched, were just mundane contractual drama... utzon’s character very obnoxious but given the public response (very pro-utzon) im glad this side of the story was told.

important project to consider for topics such as “is this iconic piece of architecture worth all the blood, sweat, and tears?” (see also: frank gehry, santiago calatrava); architecture and innovation and computation/technology; architect as a sculptor/dreamer v.s. architect capable of delivering; collaborations with architects

originally read just to read about Peter Rice’s contribution. there is a little mention of his role in the roof geometries. glad i got to finish the book to realize how that was just one small piece of the whole drama. now seems especially inappropriate that the sydney opera house appears on the cover of the new (unauthorized??) edition of Rice’s memoir...