AussiePOD: Aussie Picture Of the Day

The Sydney Opera House is one of the best known buildings in the world, however, it has not been without controversy. When Joern Utzon's winning design was announced in 1957, Sydneysiders (residents of Sydney) complained bitterly about it ruining the harbour skyline (like the Parisians complained about the Eiffel Tower ruining Paris' skyline!) Utzon had not finished the design when the city forced construction to begin -- not a good move. As a result, it took 14 years to build (1959 till 1973) instead of 5 and it ran ridiculously over budget, so much so that Utzon was removed from the project in 1966 and the city started a lottery to raise the necessary funds. Utzon, in fact, has never seen the completed building!!! (Although recently he has been reappointed as a consultant for future alterations and was chosen as the 2003 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize , which is widely considered to be the "Nobel Prize" for architecture.)

The Sydney Opera House is the busiest performing arts centre in the world. It consists of over 1,000 rooms and hosts over 3,000 events each year, with audiences totaling approximately two million. In addition, approximately 200,000 people take a guided tour of the complex each year (as will we).