CAT-II ASSIGNMENT

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE-V

N.RAKHSHINTHA
201011101031
DR.M.G.R.EDUCATIONAL AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE
 JORN UTZON

BORN 9 April 1918

Copenhagen, Denmark

DIED 29 November 2008 (aged 90)

Helsingor, FDenmark

NATIONALITY Danish

ALMA MATER Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts

OCCUPATION Architect

AWARDS Pritzker Prize

BUILDINGS Sydney Opera House,

Kuwait National Assembly Building,
Bagsvaerd Church

N.RAKHSHINTHA
201011101031
DR.M.G.R.EDUCATIONAL AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE
 JORN UTZON
Architectural approach:
• Utzon had a Nordic sense of
concern for nature which, in his
design, emphasized the synthesis
of form, material and function for
social values.
• His fascination with the
architectural legacies of the
ancient Mayas, the Islamic world,
China, and Japan also informed
his practice. This developed into
what Utzon later referred to
as Additive Architecture,
comparing his approach to the
growth patterns of nature.
• A design can grow like a tree, he
explained: "If it grows naturally,
the architecture will look after
itself."
DR.M.G.R.EDUCATIONAL AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE
• Utzon's architectural career was
one of pure, ambitious ideas and
subsequent broken
collaborations and unlucky
circumstances.
• For an architect of Utzon's
talent, his output was relatively
modest. Most of his key
buildings, such as the Sydney
Opera House and the Kuwait
National Assembly are often
seen as "fatally compromised"
projects, often through factors
that Utzon could not have
controlled.
BAGSVÆRD CHURCH
NEAR COPENHAGEN
N.RAKHSHINTHA
201011101031
 SYNDEY OPERA HOUSE
• The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the banks of Sydney
Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of
20th century architecture.

• Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, but completed by an Australian architectural team headed by Peter
Hall, the building was formally opened on 20 October 1973 after a gestation beginning with Utzon's 1957
selection as winner of an international design competition.

• Construction of the Sydney Opera House began in March 1959 after the demolition of the existing Fort
Macquarie Tram Depot. The project was built in three phases: the foundation and building of the podium
overlooking the Sydney Harbor, the construction of the outer shells, and the construction of the interior.

N.RAKHSHINTHA
201011101031
DR.M.G.R.EDUCATIONAL AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE
 KUWAIT NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BUILDING

• The Kuwait National Assembly Building is

the legislative building that houses the National Assembly
of Kuwait. Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon in
1972, it was completed in 1982 under the direction of his
son Jan. The structural design was by Max Walt.

• The Islamic design of the Kuwait National Assembly was

inspired by Utzon's visit to Iran in 1959.

• The overall area of the complex is 18,000 square metres

(150 m by 120 m). The main structure consists of a
basement housing the services and two upper levels with
offices, reception, meeting rooms, the library and the
cafeteria.
 BAGSVÆRD CHURCH
• The Bagsværd Church by Jørn Utzon was
completed in 1976. Though not his most famous
work, the church is an example of the architect’s
inventive work at a different scale. Utzon
designed the church with an unassuming exterior
that merely hints at the stirring forms he created
inside.

• The exterior of the Bagsværd Church is much

more austere than the views from within, where
white concrete is complimented by pale beach
wood. The curving white concrete overhead is
matched with white concrete walls, and floor
tiles, as well as a delicate white screen of triangles
behind the altar. The freestanding pews are
constructed out of wood, and another screen
isolates the sanctuary from the rest of the
building through pale vertical wood pieces.

• Utzon carefully considered daylight in

the Bagsværd Church. It is brought in at the
highest point of the curving ceiling, and softened
along the curves. It is also filtered in through glass
ceilings above corridors and hallways of
the Bagsværd Church. Elsewhere, the church has
an aluminum roof.
THANK YOU

N.RAKHSHINTHA
201011101031
DR.M.G.R.EDUCATIONAL AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE