Opera din Sydney

De la inaugurarea ei pe 20 octombrie 1973, Opera din Sydney a fost locul in care s-au desfasurat unele din cele mai memorabile spectacole artistice de opera, teatru, balet, etc. Proiectul care a castigat concursul international in 1957 s-a concretizat intr-o cladire moderna care este astazi una din cele mai faimoase si fotografiate structuri din secolul al XX-lea.

Opera poate fi descrisa ca o sculptura de sine statatoare, cu acoperisul sau sferic, cu bolti care seamana cu panzele umflate ale unei corabii. Stabilizarea unei asemenea structuri neconventionale a necesitat inovatii in tehnica constructiei. La fel ca multe din proiectele lui Utzon, si cel pentru opera din Sydney se baza pe utilizarea ingenioasa a platformelor.

El a explicat proiectul astfel: ”…ideea a fost sa lasam platforma sa taie cladirea precum un cutit si sa separe functia principala de cea secundara. De deasupra platformei, privitorii vor putea sa admite in intregime opera, iar sub ea se vor face pregatirile necesare, ascunse de ochii tuturor”. El continua: ”un lucru important este sa scoatem in evidenta platforma si sa nu o distrugem, atunci cand vom incepe sa construim deasupra ei. Daca am fi folosit un acoperit plat, nu am fi scos-o in evidenta… in schitele cladirii puteti observa acoperisurile, forme curbate, inaltandu-se mai sus sau mai jos, deasupra platformei. Contrastul de forme sin diferentele de inaltime ale acoperisului da structurii o mare forta arhitecturala, lucru posibil datorita tehnicilor moderne de constructie”.

Povestea cladirii a inceput de fapt in 1957, cand Jorn Utzon, pe atunci in varsta de 38 de ani, era un arhitect oarecum necunoscut care isi practica meseria in Danemarka, aproape de locul in care Shakespeare plasase castelul lui Hamlet. Utzon locuia intr-un orasel mic, numit Hellebaek, aflat la marginea marii, impreuna cu sotia si cei trei copii ai sai; toti trei aveau sa calce mai tarziu pe urmele tatalui lor, evenind arhitecti. Casa fusese construita cu numai cinci ani inainte conform planurilor facute de el insusi - este una din putinele proiecte care s-au concretizat de cand si-a deschis studioul de arhitectura, in 1945.

In 1957, Jorn Utzon tocmai se inscrisese in competitia anonima pentru cladirea operei care trebuia ridicata in Australia, mai precis in Sydney. Din aproximativ 230 de proiecte inscrise si realizate de arhitecti din mai mult de 30 de tari, castigatoare a fost viziunea sa, descrisa de presa vremii ca fiind ”trei bolti de ciment in forma de scoici, acoperite cu placi albe”.

Uzton, care era o persoana foarte retrasa, neinteresata de intrigile politice si asediata de o mass-media ostila, a renuntat la proiect si s-a retras inainte ca acesta sa fie dus la bun sfarsit. Proiectul a fost finisat de alti designeri, iar lucrarile au continuat apoi sub conducerea Peter Hall. Uzton a refuzat sa se mai intoarca in Australia si nu a vazut niciodata cu ochii sai opera.

Ca laureat al premiului Pritzker, Frank Gehry descrie poate cel mai bine capodopera realizata de Uzton ca fiind ”o cladire cu mult inaintea timpului sau, mult dincolo de tehnologia disponibila la vremea respectiva. In ciuda publicitatii negative si a presei malitioase, el s-a incapatanat sa continuie constructia unei cladiri care avea sa devina simbol a Australiei”.

Multa lume nu stie ca de fapt Opera din Sydney este un complex de sali de teatru si holuri imense. Sub acoperisul sau se desfasoara reprezentatii de teatru, musical-uri, opera, dans contemporan, balet, proiectii de filme, expozitii si concerte de muzica - de la jazz pana la concerte simfonice. Annual, aici au loc in jur de 3.000 de evenimente artistice, audienta ajungand la pana la doua milioane.

Scurt istoric
Inainte de construirea Operei din Sydney, orasul nu avea o cladire special dedicata spectacolelor si concertelor, acestea desfasurandu-se in conditii improprii, in cladirea primariei. Situatia a devenit si mai presanta in 1947, odata cu numirea lui Sir Eugene Goosens pe post de director al orchestrei simfonice din Sydney si al Conservatorului de muzica – acesta a promis ca una din primele sale actiuni va fi sa militeze pentru crearea unei cladiri potrivite. In ciuda multiplelor sale aparitii in public, nimic nu s-a realizat in aceasta privinta, timp de sapte ani.

In cele din urma, la sfarsitul anului 1954, Guvernul din New South Wales a inceput sa se implice in rezolvarea situatiei, iar Joseph Cahill, premierul de la acea vreme, a infiintat un comitet menit sa duca la bun sfarsit proiectul. Tot el a pornit si finantarea proiectului, astfel ca intreaga cladire a fost platita pana in luna iulie a anului 1875. Astazi, Guvernul zonei contribuie cu 30% la consturile anuale de intretinere si functionare a complexului.

Construirea Operei
Comitetul infiinat de guvern a foset cel care a ales locul pe care urma sa se ridica structura. Zona primise numele de Bennelong Point dupa primul aborigen care a vorbit limba engleza si care se nascuse chiar acolo. Pana la momentul inceperii constructiei, zona era ocupata de hambare si depozite.

A urmat apoi organizarea competitiei internationale, pentru alegerea proiectului care urma sa se concretizeze in ‘’Opera House’’, o structura care trebuia sa contina doua teatre, o sala in care sa aiba loc spectacole de opera, balet si concerte simfonice, capabila sa acomodeze 3.000-3.500 de spectatori si o sala mai mica pentru concerte de camera si recitaluri, pentru aproximativ 1.200 de persoane. Arhitectilor care doreau sa se inscrie in consurs li s-a spus ca pot aborda proiectul cum doresc si ca nu trebuie sa se incadreze intr-o suma exacta. Astfel, s-au primit 233 de proiecte, de la arhitecti din toata lumea.

Proiectul castigator a fost anuntat in ianuarie 1957 si era cel realizat de arhitectul danez Jorn Utzon, nascut in 1918. Initial, structura trebuia sa fie construita in patru ani - in fapt, ea a fost terminata la mijlocul anului 1973.

Constructia a inceput in martie 1959 si avea sa continue in pasi mici, pe parcursul urmatorilor 14 ani. Guvernul, desi anunatase initial ca opera va avea numai doua teatre, a cerut ca proiectul sa fie schimbat, astfel incat sa includa patru teatre. Uzton a protestat de la inceput, pe motiv ca nu a reusit sa termine proiectarea cladirii, insa fara succes. O alta problema era ca planurile originale erau atat de indraznete, incat se dovedise ca era imposibil, cu tehnica de la acel moment, sa fie concretizate. Dupa patru ani de cercetari, Uzton a modificat proiectul si a dar acoperisurilor boltite forme geometrice, sferice - astfel, acestea au putut fi construite separat iar costurile de productie s-au redus considerabil, precum si timpul de executie.

Intregul proiect a fost supus mai multor intarzieri, iar bugetul a fost de multe ori depasit; pentru toate acestea a fost invinuit, probabil pe nedrept, Uzton. Guvernul nou ales in 1965, obligat si de promisiunile din campania electorala, a refuzat sa il plateasc ape Uzton si nu a acceptat ideile si metodele de constructie pe care le propunea. Astfe, fortat de imprejurari, Uzton demisioneaza la sfarsitul celui de-al doilea stadiu de constructie, in februarie 1966. Proiectul a fost apoi preluat si dus la bun sfarsit de o echipa de arhitecti australieni.

Opera din Sydney a tinut prima reprezentatie pe data de 28 septembrie 1973, cu productia Razboi si pace, de Prokofiev. Inaugurarea oficiala a avut loc pe 20 octombrie 1973, sub auspiciile Maiestatii Sale, regina Elisabeta a II-a.

Despre cladire
Opera din Sydney adaposteste sub acoperisul ei aproape 100 de incaperi, inclusiv 5 sali principale. Mai exista, de asemenea, o sala de receptii, cinci studiouri de repetitii, patru restaurante, sase baruri de comedie, un foyer, sase apartamente, o biblioteca, birourile administrative, etc.

Opera din Sydney ocupa in jur de 1,8 hectare din cele 2,2 hectare ape care le are la dispozitie. In total, cladirea detine in jur de 4,5 hectare de …usable floor space. Are o lungime de 185 metri si 120 de metri latime.

Acoperisul cel mai inalt (cel de deasupra salii de concerte) are 67 de metri inaltime.Acoperisurile au fost construite din 2.194 sectiuni de ciment prefabricate. Acestea cantaresc pana la 15 tone fiecare si sunt tinute la un loc de 350 km de cablu tensionat de otel. Acoperisurile cantaresc, la un loc, putin peste 27 de tone si sunt acoperite cu exact 1.056.056 dale de ceramica fabricate in Suedia si aranjate in peste 4.000 de capace prefabricate.

Intreaga cladire cantareste 161.000 tone. Ea este sustinuta de 580 de piloni de beton, scufundati panala 25 de metri in apa marii; acoperisurile sunt sustinute de 32 coloane de beton.

Peretii din interior si exterior, scarile si podelele sunt finisate cu granit roz, adus din cariera de la Tarana, din New South Wales. Lemnul folosit pentru decorarea interioarelor a fost adus din doua paduri din nordul tinutului.

incasa.ro, Constructii

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Property Crash Not Likely

Author: David Koch
Date: June 2, 2008

Rapid increases in interest rates have slammed Australian home owners with a mortgage to a point where they are now making the highest repayments in the developed world. Thankfully, one consolation is that generally house values are holding up.

I know there is a big increase in home repossessions and loan defaults, and property values are relatively stagnant, but compared with the rest of the world our real estate prices are staying pretty solid.

The question now is whether Australian residential property prices are overvalued and could we see the same sort of cracks which are happening overseas.

The news from overseas is just appalling. A recent US house price survey by the National Association of Realtors recorded an average 7.7 per cent drop for the year to March - the biggest fall since records started in 1982.

Would you believe states such as California and Florida are seeing average falls of up to 30 per cent over the past year as the credit crunch bites hard. At this stage 1-in-194 homes in the US have been repossessed and that ratio is climbing constantly. There are reports that some financiers are repossessing homes and then asking the owners to stay rent free to protect the property from vandals.

Now there are fears this sort of property crash could spread to Britain based on its current valuations. Average house prices in Britain are running at six times average earnings, which is way above the historic average of 3.7 times wages.

Australian residential property values are currently double Britain’s historic high - 12 times earnings in Sydney and 10 times in Melbourne.

Australian mortgage repayments are 57 per cent of average incomes compared with 50 per cent in Britain where the historic average is just 30 per cent.

A recent survey in The Economist magazine says Australia has the most overvalued residential property in the world.

All these comparisons make for very nervous reading and you’d think would point to an impending crash the size of that in the US. That may very well be the case a few years down the track.

But for the moment there appears to be a couple of significant planks underpinning Australian property values.

Firstly, the high skilled and business immigration numbers combined with low construction levels is creating a shortage of supply accentuated by the banks tightening development financing.

Full employment also means that even though higher loan repayments are stretching family budgets, household incomes won’t fall.
The other factor is the rental crisis. Strongly rising rents are usually a precursor to rising values as investors chase property to take advantage of the strong yields.

For property owners it looks like a crash in values isn’t on the cards for at least a few years. For those looking to get on the property merry-go-round for the first time, property is not going to get any more affordable either.

But it seems there is hope of picking up an affordable bargain if you know where to look.

Last week on my Sunrise program we interviewed Terry Ryder who is a former property writer and now runs a business called Hot Spotting, which analyses property issues.

Terry Ryder put together a list of the top 12 places to buy a house for under $200,000. Yep, $200,000 and many on the list are well below that level down to $90,000 in one area.

Now before you chortle and say they must be in the middle of nowhere, Ryder’s 12 locations all have good community facilities and reasonably good employment prospects for people moving there, because they’re booming.

There are only two locations on the list close to a capital city - Melton near Melbourne and Elizabeth on the outskirts of Adelaide.
Ryder says most areas close to Sydney and Brisbane were priced out of this list.

His personal pick is Parkes in regional NSW because of its location as a transport hub.

In Queensland, Charters Towers is the best pick while in NSW there’s Broken Hill, Glen Innes and Inverell.

In Victoria, the best buys are Gippsland, Melton and Mildura.

Further south in Tassie, George Town and the Rosebery-Zeehan area are on the list.

In South Australia, Elizabeth rounds out the top 12.

Source: The Sun-Herald

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Journey 2 - Next Top Chef in Australia

I love what I do, I’m a chef.

I haven’t always been a chef, I actually used to be an engineer but that was for a very brief period of time until I discovered cooking.

I decided to do an 8 months cooking course and turn my passion into my work. I studied everything I could including pastry and baking and chocolate making and while I was studying I started working in a few restaurants to gain as much experience as possible.

It’s not easy but it’s like an addiction – if you love it you can’t stop!

And so I was working for over 6-7 years as a cook in France and life was good and busy.

One day my best friends left for Australia…

That was very sad but it was their dream so I was happy for them that they had found the courage to follow their dream.

We were very involved in their process and knew about it a long time ago, once they got their permanent visa in Australia they were trying to convince us to come and join them. They immigrated to Sydney and it took them a while to settle down and feel at home there but after a few months they were very happy there. They both found good jobs and bought a house and wanted us to join them.

My wife and I were trying to have a baby so we felt we have to be near our families in France and can’t leave.

We’ve never been to Australia but they are our best friends and a bit after our baby was born we decided to try and make the move and immigrate to Australia and be near our friends.

We heard that life is much easier in Australia and my dream is to open a restaurant and chocolaterie in Sydney. I know French restaurants are very popular in Australia.

Australia for me represents the land of unlimited opportunities.

Something seems very primal there, more detached from the chaos of the rest of the world and that’s a good thing.

My friends recommended we use the same migration agent they used as they were very happy with their service so we ended up doing that.

As I’m a chef we had to go through Skilled Migration. First we had to get my skills assessed with the TRA, that’s the skills assessing body that assesses cooks and chefs in Australia.

I had to provide very detailed letters of reference about my work experience and had to prove my qualifications and it took me a few months to prepare the documents but eventually we completed this stage and I was assessed by the TRA as a Cook.

The next hurdle was the IELTS, I had to do an English test but studying English wasn’t easy, when you work full time and have a baby and the last time you used your English was when you were 18 then it becomes rusty you know…. So I had to take a private English teacher and study seriously. I did the IELTS and passed it the second time.

Our visa application was lodged 6 months ago and we’re eager to get our permanent residence and arrive to Australia as permanent residents.

No matter what the outcome is, I am happy that we had the courage to go all the way.

I’ve always believed that if we want something we should go for it so that we don’t regret later that we haven’t given it a try.

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