Title |
A Study on the Composition of the Circulation and Space in Sydney Opera House |
Keywords |
Circulation System ; Site ; Spacial Composition ; Opera House ; Podium ; Foyer ; View ; Approach |
Abstract |
The Sydney Opera House is built on a peninsula of rock that juts out into Sydney Harbor. The site was once a landing place for ships. Utzon, Architect, designed the theatres for the Opera House to fit the shape. The two theatres were placed side by side so that they both had extensive harbor views. The Sydney Opera House is designed the foyers to take full advantage of these sights. Because the building would be seen from all sides, even from above, it was to be a piece of sculpture. The outside was as important as the inside. The audience enters from behind the stage and walks around to the foyers overlooking the harbour. The wing and backstage areas are small because of the way the foyers wrap around the theatre. The stage is made up of large platform lifts which provide the vertical movement for changing scenery. The sets come up from the workshops below stage. The flytower fits under the largest roof shell and doesn't break the skyline. The important elements are the podium, the shells and the reminders. The podium, the huge monolithic concrete structure, contains hundreds of rooms and nearly all the technical equipment. The podium is clad with pink granite slabs and seen from the water. This design eliminated a maze of fire escape stairs and, at the same time, gave people a wonderful view of the harbour. The egg shell is remarkably strong and express the form as the symbol of the site. |