Architect Jørn Utzon / Sydney Opera House

Jørn Utzon, (born April 9, 1918) is a Danish architect most notable for designing the Sydney Opera House in Australia. 2003 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate.

Utzon was born in Copenhagen as the son of a naval engineer, and grew up in Denmark. From 1937 he studied architecture at the University of Copenhagen and worked for Alvar Aalto and Frank Lloyd Wright. He started his own office in 1950 in Copenhagen. In 1957 he unexpectedly won the competition to design the Sydney Opera House, despite the fact that it was his first non-domestic design and his entry did not meet the contest criteria; the designs he submitted were little more than preliminary drawings. One of the judges, Eero Saarinen, described it as "genius" and declared he could not endorse any other choice. In contrast, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe turned his back when introduced to Utzon.

The Sydney Opera House is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Based on the competition winning entry by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the Sydney Opera House is one of the world's most distinctive 20th century buildings, and one of the most famous performing arts venues in the world.

fonte wikipedia / about com architecture