Sydney Opera House - Permasteelisa Group

The Sydney Opera House – one of the best-known landmarks in the world – was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1973. In 2007, this remarkable building was awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status as a “masterpiece of late modern architecture that pushed architecture and engineering to new limits”.

With its shimmering sails, Sydney Opera House has come to define the city and even the nation of Australia. Covering 4.4 acres of land, the building contains multiple concert halls and hosts over 1,500 performances a year. It sits on 588 supporting concrete piers, submerged 25m below sea level.

Brand: Permasteelisa

Architects: Hall, Todd and Littlemore; Jorn Utzon

Contractors: Lendlease; Manuel Hornibrook

Developer: New South Wales Department of Public Works

Owner: New South Wales Government

The project

The concept

Central to the Opera House’s iconic design are its concrete roof sails made up of over a million ceramic tiles. The building pioneered the use of structural silicone and suspended vertical glass on a large scale, with the central bay of over 34m high being suspended without any intermediate supports.

What did we do?

This innovative, futuristic building represented an architectural challenge that we overcame with complex design work and revolutionary engineering and building techniques. We designed, manufactured, engineered and installed 6,500 sqm of customised curtain wall – a unitised system made of glass.

used under licence from Sydney Opera House Trust

Key facts

Year completed

1973

Building dimensions

67m high; 183m long; 120m wide (at its widest point)

Total façade supplied

6,500 sqm of curtain wall