SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE -

CONCERT HALL CASE STUDY

Name: Anuradde M

Reg. No.: RA1911201010014

Location: Bennelong Point, Sydney, NSW
Trustee: The Sydney
Opera House Trust

LOCATION AND DETAILS

Architects: Stage
1+2: Jørn Utzon
3: Hall, Todd & Littlemore
Engineer: Ove Arup &Partners
Builder: Hornibrook PtyLtd
Constuction Date: 1973
Land Area:18,000 m2
Cost :102,000,000 AUD
Sitting on Benelong Point in Sydney Harbour, the Sydney
Opera House is one of the icons of twentieth century
architecture. After winning an international competition for
the design of the building, Danish architect Jørn Utzon
supervised the completion of the first two stages of the project;
the podium and the concrete shells. After years of
experimentation, much of it in conjunction with the innovative
Sydney plywood manufacturer, Ralph Symonds Ltd, Utzon was
finalising the design for the interiors of the building when,
after considerable controversy, he resigned in 1966. The
assembled partnership of Hall, Todd and Littlemore was
commissioned to finish the interiors. A change in brief and a
more conservative structural approach resulted in a different
design. The rich and extensive timber interiors, contrasting
with the heavy concrete masonry of the exterior, remain
however an exemplary example of the use of plywood and
laminated hardwood in a public building.
The building is made up by two very distinctive elements; a solid base and a series of light,
organically shaped roofs. The first is actually the building itself and houses all the service areas,
including dressing rooms, rehearsal areas, warehouses, offices and library. It was conceived to
serve as a base for the upper deck, a completely horizontal plane which shape is only broken to
give space to the stands of the two main auditoriums, one for opera, the other for concerts, and

CONCEPT
sporadically to allow the staircases from below to emerge to the surface.

When reaching the street side the whole plane folds to create a monumental staircase as wide as
the building itself. This base building is very angular and covered in dark stone, giving it a very
solid tectonic image. Even the openings on its façade appear to have been made after it was
completed, using the same stone that should otherwise cover the opening as a visor to the window.

The other part of the building, the roofs, are made by a series of triangular shells supported on
their corners and facing upwards as if challenging the laws of physics. These shells cover the three
main spaces, the opera theater, the concert theater and the restaurant. Each of these spaces is
covered by four pairs of shells, except for the restaurant which only has two pair.

The visual approach to the shells is opposed to the one for the base building. The shells are white,
shiny and fragmented curved surfaces that contradict the sense of darkness and unity form the
base.

These conceptual ideas were clear on Utzon’s project from the very beginning. However during
construction he found it hard to stay true to his original vision as he needed to transform the
organic gesture that came out of his imagination into rational shapes that engineers could
calculate and work with.
The shape of the shells was not geometrically defined
initially, however the engineering team quickly started
translating Utzon’s drawings to a series of vaults formed
by parabolas. They had to find a way to minimize the cost
of building these vaults of site and then bring the
structure in for final assembly as building a custom
formwork on site would have skyrocketed the cost even
more.
From 1957 to 1963 the design team went over a dozen
different shapes for the shells before finally setting for
one. Some of their approaches including parabolas of
different widths and ellipses to shape the iconic shells.
The complexity of the work at hand called for one of the
earliest applications of computers to structural analysis in
order to better understand the forces that these shells
would have to support.
It was in 1961 when the team found a solution that
would solve most of their problems. They came up
with the idea to build the shells out of the sections of a
sphere. The sphere is the simplest three-dimensional
curve and there for was relatively easy to work with
since the angle of its curvature remains the same at
any given point. In the end this was the solution
chosen by the design team to move forward.
This elegant solution allowed for the structure of the
shells to be built off site and removed the need for the
STRUCTURE
super expensive onsite formwork. The Ove Arup and
partners team developed a cutting edge construction
system to mount all the pieces together, using what
they called a “construction arch” to support all the
pieces before they were finally all together and ready
to support their own weight.
Even though each piece of the puzzle was unique and
unswitchable the fact that they all belonged to the
geometry of a sphere meant they all were curved to
the same radius of 460 feet, which really simplified
and cheapened the construction and calculation
processes.
Each design element of the building was conceived to make the visitors feel welcome and relaxed. All the
way from the building’s placement and orientation, the different point of views from where it would be
observed, the 100 meter wide staircase that gives access to the podium’s roof, etc.
The project development was divided into three stages. First came the base-podium building, then the roof
shells and last the windows and interiors.
Even though Utzon argued that he had yet to finish the designs for the structure the government forced
the construction works to start and then even changed the design requirements during development. The
brief went from two theaters to five which forced Utzon to revise his plans and readjust them along the

SPACES
way.
The three main building that inhabit the podium are the concert hall, the opera house and the restaurant,
however there whole complex counts with five theaters, five rehearsal studios, two main rooms, four
restaurants, six bars and numerous gift shots.

The five theaters have the following characteristics:

The Concert Hall has 2679 seats and has the world’s
largest mechanic organ with over 10.000 tubes.
The Opera House has 1547 seats and is the home to both
the Australian opera and the Australian ballet company.
The Drama Theater with capacity for 544 spectators.
The Music Room with capacity for 398 spectators.
The Studio Theater with capacity for 364 spectators.

INTERIOR OF CONCERT HALL

CONCERT HALL
The largest performance venue in the complex,
the Concert Hall seats up to 2,679 in-the-round.
The walls and floor are made of laminated
Australian brush box timber. The brushbox
walls in the stalls and on stage are finished in a
sawtooth geometry. The ceiling and seating
frames are made of Australian white birch

PLAN
veneer and the seats are upholstered in wool.
The southern wall behind the stage features a
10,500-pipe grand organ, designed and built by
Australian Ronald Sharp.
The stage platform measures approximately
17m wide at the setting line by 11.5m deep at
the centre line. An optional stage extension,
made up of five hydraulic scissor lifts, adds
approximately 1.5m depth at the centre line.
Upstage is fitted with six hydraulic scissor lifts,
which may be used to raise the brass and
percussion sections.
The ceiling crown is unusually high, at approximately 25m above
the stage which creates a massive chamber above the platform.
The ceiling was to consist of a series of plywood box beams
radiating out from the stage and suspended at points from the
concrete arches of the shells. Each beam was to be made up of
two plywood box beams bolted together, with acoustic insulation
in the cavity inside each beam. Spanning horizontally between
the box beams were to be panels of plywood reinforced with hot

SECTION
bonded aluminium. These horizontal elements were attached to
the top of one beam and the bottom of the next creating a stepped
form to the ceiling. On the top of these panels was to be bonded
2mm of lead for low frequency sound insulation. Utzon saw the
ceiling of the performance halls being like a floating cloud. This
was to be expressed from the harbour side foyers where the
waiting audience would be able to see over the banks of seating,
into the gap between the top of the suspended plywood ceiling
and the underside of the sails’ concrete ribs. The ceiling was
designed to be divisible into large, separate elements that could
be constructed with services installed and finishes applied off site • SECTION SHOWING THE CONCERT HALL
then erected into position and bolted together. It was anticipated
that this would add flexibility to the installation process.
The standard configuration of the Concert Hall is designed
for symphony. However the hall is often used for both
acoustic and amplified events in a single day. The
commercial events require a sophisticated overlay of

ELECTRICAL, SOUND AND

temporary staging, lighting, rigging, sound and audio
visual elements. The efficient and cost effective turn-
around of technical overlay, including acoustic treatments,

is critical to accommodate the range of activity. There is an
open platform, with the height-adjustable canopy of
reflectors. Lighting is concealed within the ceiling and is
set up for standard orchestral lighting, with some scope for
colour washes and specials.
The venue is fitted with a stereo line array system by D&B
Audiotechnik. This system replaced a central speaker
cluster in 2009 and has substantially improved the quality
of amplified sound and the visual aesthetic of the hall.
The sound system installation was not only designed to
improve amplified performance. It was also designed to
speed the turnaround time between productions. The
installation allows the sound system to be flown into 6
preprogrammed configurations without the need for any
labour to rig the system. In addition, a large excavation in
the rear stalls area has allowed the sound team to position
a console, processing equipment and pre-configured cables,
significantly reducing set up time and greatly enhancing
thefinal sound result. An electronic architecture system
was installed by Acoustic Control Systems of The
Netherlands to enhance low frequency energy through
loudspeakers
LIGHTING SYSTEM
Concert Hall Auditorium (North-South section):
the ceiling crown sits 25m above the stage platform
A new electrical reticulation and distribution system, with
separate audio and lighting supplies, was also installed in
2009. The upgrade has improved the audio system by removing
electrical noise and interference, caused by earth looping
issues. There is a hanging system made up of 14 lines driven by
electric winches. There are also four maintenance winch sets.
It is not a flying system and cannot control flying cues. The
system is used to dead-hang rigs when additional technical
overlay is required.
Prior to the recent upgrade works, the clarity of the venue for
amplified performances was often the subject of criticism. A
system of temporary drapery has been used to great effect,
along with the upgraded line array system, to control
reverberation and improve the quality of amplified sound
 CLOUD LIKE SOUND REFLECTORS
Sound reflectors were designed specially for the concert hall and were hanged from the
ceilings on top of the stage. These were donut like shaped and were called clouds.
These later on was proved to be inefficient and was replaced by full circle reflectors
giving up on the donut shape. According to the conservation objectives for Sydney
Opera House, where change is needed to enhance the overall heritage significance of a
space like the Concert Hall, it should be as much as necessary but as little as possible.
The study needed to start from the option with the least visual change possible. The
team considered the use of solid circular reflectors to increase the acoustic coverage
while maintaining an appearance in keeping with the existing clouds. A third option
was considered, which would require the least change to the visual appearance of the
existing clouds, while increasing the coverage of the canopy. Convex discs were
manufactured to infill the holes in the existing clouds.
For the purposes of the trial, the 18
acrylic clouds over the stage were
derigged and re-rigged on temporary tri
truss in acloser configuration. The array
was supplemented with additional square
panels both downstage and upstage
(Figure 15), made of 12mm plywood for
the purposes of the trial. Details of the
configuration are discussed further in
Part Two of this paper. Reflective flat wall
panels covered the sawtooth walls in the
stalls and on stage (Figure 16). The tilt
and pivot angles of the walls were also
adjusted for optimum effect. The
prototypes were built from Medium
Density Fibreboard (MDF) by Endeavour
Skilled Trades.
For many of the same reasons as Utzon, Hall, Todd and
Littlemore chose timber as the dominant material for the
interiors. For the timber finishes to the floors and walls, the
new architects faithfully followed the direction set out by
Utzon. However for the ceiling of the concert halls, while still
using plywood, the design took a significantly different

MATERIALS USED
direction. Throughout the interiors, prefabricated panels of
laminated Brush Box were used for flooring, stair treads and
risers and wall panels. An extremely hard and dense timber,
Brush Box was chosen for its warm, rich colour and grain,
acoustic performance and high durability. In the interiors the
predominant materials are pink granite brought from Tarana
and plywood from New South Wales.

Timber and Acoustics - Timber has historically been used for

acoustic applications for a number of reasons. A timber surface
does not just reflect sound, but resonates slightly, giving it a
particular quality and colour. A hard surface such as concrete
reflects sound with a hard and sharp quality. In the Sydney
Opera House, the musicians were happy to have timber used as
it was a material they understood, many of their instruments
being made from timber. They were accustomed to the quality of
sound timber spaces created. Timber is well suited to the control
of excessive echo or reverberation off surfaces in performance
and public spaces. A common practice is to clad walls or ceilings
in lecture halls and performance spaces with spaced timber
battens. This surface treatment breaks up the sound, reducing
echoes. As a contrast to many of the hard concrete surfaces,
sections of the walls in the foyers, the two theatres and other
public spaces are lined with panels made up of spaced Brush
Box battens over a sound absorbing mat.
 CONSTRUCTION OF INTERIORS
Made up of 38mm wide kiln dried strips of timber glue laminated together, each panel used in the Opera House was around
1200mm wide and varied in length depending on application. The flooring and tread panels were 51mm thick and fastened to
timber joists. The wall panels were 19mm thick and fastened to steel channels. Smaller panels of laminated Brush Box were also
used for balustrades, parapets, and handrails. The ceilings in the Concert Hall and Opera Theatre, while differing from Utzon’s
intentions, are still a spectacular use of plywood. Both ceilings are constructed of White Birch plywood panels backed with
acoustic plasterboard and suspended from steel purlins. The purlins in turn are suspended from arched steel trusses in between
the shells and the ceiling. With the trusses picking up all the loads of the ceiling and distributing them to the side of the shells,
the ceiling itself no longer has any structural elements like the plywood beams in Utzon’s scheme. A crown of plywood dominates
the ceiling of the Concert Hall over the stage. Radiating out from this is a series of ribs that cascade down to their junction with
the walls. The complex geometry of the ceiling created several problems in its prefabrication. The crown alone consists of eighty
separate sections of plywood all of which had to be assembled to an accuracy of 0.8mm. To cut arcs with such precision long
swinging arms were developed to carry the plywood accurately through bandsaws. At various points, curved cuts had to be made
into already curved pieces of plywood. A computer was used to generate the dimensions for such cuts, an early example of this
technology’s use inReflective flat wall panels covered the sawtooth walls in the stalls and on stage The tilt and pivot angles of the
walls were also adjusted for optimum effect. The prototypes were built from Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) by Endeavour
Skilled Trades.
Architecture.

section a-a (through concert hall ceiling) detail c (concert hall ceiling detail)
A survey of musicians, critics and audience members published in
august by limelight, an australian music magazine, rated the
sydney opera house's opera theatre as having the worst acoustics
out of 20 major venues. the building's acoustic quirks date back to
1967, when new south wales' premier robert askin decided that the

CONS
smaller sail, which was supposed to be a theater, should house the
opera, and the larger sail, which was to house the opera, should be a
concert hall. (at the time, symphonies drew in more crowds than
operas did.) as a result, today's concert hall has 1,000 seats too
many, while the opera theatre has a famously tiny pit.
the small pit makes it difficult for musicians to hear one another.
the concert hall, meanwhile, is too big and the sound gets lost in the
25-m-high ceiling. acoustic upgrades in 1973 and 2009 have helped
some, but the sound isn't full enough