Did you know the architect of the Sydney Opera House, one of the most iconic and recognized buildings in the world, never saw his masterpiece completed in person? Jørn Utzon’s simple diagrammatic sketches caught the attention of judges among a couple hundred entries and he was declared the winner. (See this super interesting article for what the Opera House could have looked like… nothing else comes close to his design!) But the eagerness of leaders to start construction before designs were finalized (no one knew how to actually build it…) caused delays and ballooning expenses that were then blamed on Utzon (unfairly IMO), and eventually led to his firing. The bitter rift was eventually repaired when Utzon and his now grown architect son, Jan, were brought on to help with the renewal and preservation of his original vision, which had become tainted upon his firing. However, by this time he was unable to make the long journey back to Austrailia from his home in Denmark.

I’ve found the majority of the design process is discovering lots of things that don’t work. But even after a project is “completed”, it can continue to evolve and change, like the Opera House work that continues today. I loved this article about the Farnsworth House, an icon of the International Style, but not without its flaws. I mean, as much as I love the thought of a glass house, is it really livable? The person for whom it was built, Edith Farnsworth, didn’t think so. And then there’s that 100-year flood problem that keeps happening. Like the article says, I find myself asking with each project, "When do you put the pencil down, when is a project ever finished?”

I remember reading somewhere about an experience Utzon had while touring a several hundred year old church. He asked when the building was completed, and was surprised by the response that it was still under construction. (Reminds me so much of Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia, but we’ll save that for another time.)

The article continues, “From early sketches to site visits to post-occupancy investigations to rubble, the story of architecture is nothing more than a catalogue of errors that needs to be studied, challenged and revisited. The process is both cathartic and instructive. As trends come and go, as political systems change and power balances shift, architectural failures reflect and unveil the complex forces that shape the world around us. Architecture is cluttered with paradoxes and contradictions – and is all the richer for it.”

To be continued…