$150 million Opera House revamp a bold addition on sacred turf

Modifying the Sydney Opera House concert hall was fraught with danger, with significant public trepidation about making any change at our most iconic building, which draws more than 10 million visitors each year.

However, the fears have proven unfounded, with the Sydney Opera House Trust bringing the hall up to a standard required by musicians and music lovers today, while staying true to the original design.

The world heritage-listed building, designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon and completed by Peter Hall after Utzon left our shores in 1966, has created waves of excitement since it was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in October 1973.

ARM Architecture, with a brief to bring the concert hall up to standard, was also directed by Hall’s original design.

The result is not only a state-of-the art facility within our most important landmark, but a swag of awards from the Australian Institute of Architects (NSW Chapter) – The NSW architecture medallion, the Greenway award for heritage and the John Verge award for interior architecture. However, this trifecta of ARM wins almost did not occur.

‘Each pattern has been carefully designed to create the appropriate amount of sound.’

Andrew Hayne, a principal at ARM

Six of ARM’s team tendered for the highly coveted commission, but didn’t really rate their chances of winning the bid. “We really thought we were only an outside chance, given we are well established in Melbourne and often our designs are expressed with ‘Rocco’ or ‘late baroque’ abandonment,” says architect Mark Raggatt, a director of the practice.

He worked closely with architect Andrew Hayne, a principal at ARM, and heritage architect Alan Croker, whose practice established the conservation management plan for the Opera House.

While not frontrunners, ARM’s work at Melbourne’s Hamer Hall, also from the 1970s, working with John Prescott’s design, was key to receiving the “gong”.