Jury citation
Overhauling the interior of the World-Heritage-listed Sydney Opera House Concert Hall might be considered one of the most daunting briefs of an architect’s career. It’s no secret that the hall has faced acoustic challenges ever since it opened, and the vastly increased variety of performances has presented significant additional challenges for the delivery of world-class acoustics within a timeframe that is sustainable for the Opera House program. Additionally, equitable access (for both patrons and performers) has always been problematic, with the harbour-facing spaces only accessible via long staircases, and toilet access often requiring assistance. Now, bronzed tunnels, sliced through the grand side stairs with absolute precision, lead to new glass elevators that enable equitable access to the iconic northern foyer for the first time.
Mechanical interventions in the Concert Hall, including drop-down acoustic curtains and sound ledges, have been handled with great restraint, and the wave-form timber acoustic panelling feels perfectly at home. Every possible fragment of original building fabric has been re-used. If (then) Prince Charles once decried the proposed extension to London’s National Gallery a “monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend,” ARM Architecture has managed to perform the most flattering of facelifts for this grand dame. “The House” feels ready for its next 50 years.
Sydney Opera House Concert Hall Renewal is located in Sydney, New South Wales on Gadigal Country and was reviewed by Andrew Andersons in Architecture Australia January/February 2023.
Project credits
Architect: ARM Architecture; Project team: Mark Raggatt, Howard Raggatt, Andrew Hayne, Peter Bickle, Stuart Webber, Justin Fagnani, Andrea Wilson, Paul Buckley, Aaron Robinson, Leo Carson, Rocio Batlle, Mario Posala, Daniel Lazarow; Builder: Taylor Construction; Town planner: Keylan Consulting; Quantity surveyor: Rider Levett Bucknall; Mechanical and electrical services engineer: Steensen Varming; Fire services and hydraulic engineer: Warren Smith Consulting Engineers; Building surveyor: Group DLA; Acoustic engineer: Muller-BBM; Heritage consultant: Design 5 Architects; Theatre planning: Schuler Shook; Programming: Mace; Vertical transport: Norman Disney and Young; Access consultant: Laccess.
