On Thursday, Sydney Symphony Orchestra chief conductor David Anderson likened sound quality in the concert hall to images taken by the early Hubble Space Telescope: “breathtaking images and very inspiring, but nothing like the fix that happened when they actually got the mirror focused”.
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“So it will make a difference to have a creative learning centre, remove the ugly tent, and all those things, so people feel more of a sense of ownership, and can be prouder of the Opera House”, she said. Tim Greer, from Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects, said the key challenge was, to some extent, to “respect our architectural inheritance but at the same time create a vibrant future for the opera house”.
A 3D sound system and drapes – now put up for individual events – would be installed for amplified performances, as well as quieter airconditioning.
“The doughnuts (clear, circular reflectors above the platform) are a joke”.
Work will begin next May, with the biggest disruption expected in mid-2019 when the concert hall is due to close for 18 months.
The New South Wales Government has announced plans to upgrade the iconic building, 43 years after its opening, with a view to improving the appalling acoustics of its concert hall and opera auditorium.
A tunnel cutting through the northern foyer, beneath the stairs to the concert hall, would be “revolutionary” for people with disabilities, Herron said.
Both of London’s concert halls have spent similar sums on revamps in recent years without achieving more than marginal and temporary improvements to the prevalent murk. The entry and foyers will be broadly upgraded, the function centre will be brought within the building’s existing envelope, and a creative learning centre will be added. There would also be a separate, permanent “digital classroom”.
A premium function centre will be built on the periphery of the building. From 2018, the space under the stairs would be renovated to be made more pedestrian-friendly, with seating and “digital art walls”.
The plans released on Thursday were only working designs, Herron stressed, to allow more consultation and to ensure the process was as smooth as possible.
The theatre will be closed for seven months from May next year.
All $202m of the upgrades are paid for by the state government.
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‘When my father was re-engaged to look into the Opera House, he realised it was necessary to look at the Opera House with new eyes, ‘ said Utzon, who worked with his father after Jørn’s re-engagement in 1999.
