Renewal of the Sydney Opera House’s Joan Sutherland Theatre
Designing New Elements Within a Heritage Icon
Challenge
The guidelines set for the project were to promote the principles of equity and social inclusion. The brief addressed three main areas:
- The Joan Sutherland Theatre auditorium, with internal upgrades for patrons and performers.
- A new connection between the Southern Foyer and the Northern Foyers, a bespoke bronze and glass lift designed to fit between the existing concrete ribs and façade’s complex geometry;
- And replacement of the Theatre Machinery within the JST Stage to improve functionality, safety and efficiencies for the performers and stage crew.
Insight
At its 40th Anniversary in 2013, the Sydney Opera House launched a decade of Renewal works with the primary objective of preparing the building for the needs and expectations of future generations of artists, audiences and visitors.
Solution
From the outset, all design decisions were assessed against the Utzon Design Principles and the Conservation Management Plan. Detailed design resolution worked around challenging spatial constraints, utilising materiality to provide a sense of orientation.
Crafted detailing of the brushbox timber panels, expressed concrete walls and bronze accent elements dress the space, establishing it as a natural extension of the foyers language.
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45Projects Accessibility Masterplan
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1507Theatre Seats Joan Sutherland Theatre
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20thCentury Heritage Building
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40thAnniversary Renewal Works
Collaborators
ARM Architecture
TZG and Grimshaw
Design 5 - Architects
Design Inspiration
Design Inspiration
Crafted detailing of the brushbox timber panels, expressed concrete walls and bronze accent elements dress the space, establishing it as a natural extension of the foyers language and referencing both Utzon and Peter Hall’s work.
Details
Details
The lift structure, that appears light and ‘effortless’, in actual fact is working hard to support the existing concrete ribs and precast stairs. The facade, altered to make space for the lift, elegantly frames the transparent shaft, almost dissolving in the reflection of the harbour.
The User
The User
The project has received fantastic reviews from the performance companies at the Opera House regarding the acoustic and operational performances of the theatre; and from Accessibility Groups, whose members can now access the Northern Foyer and one of Sydney’s best views of the Harbour; previously inaccessible.
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