The Sydney Opera House, Australia’s best-known contemporary building, received World Heritage listing recently as a site of international cultural significance, taking its place alongside the Taj Mahal in Agra, the Pyramids in Egypt, and the Great Wall of China.

The harbourside landmark, with its distinctive sail-shaped roof, was designed by the Danish architect Joern Utzon and completed in 1973. It is the youngest building on the World Heritage list, and one of only 15 or so from the 20th century. Utzon is only the second living architect with a work that meets UNESCO’s criterion of “a masterpiece of human creative genius.” This was the second time the Sydney Opera House had been nominated for World Heritage status. The first attempt, in 1981, was deferred as the building was considered too new to have proven international cultural importance. Among other sites designated as international treasures by Unesco’s World Heritage Committee last June were the Red Fort complex in Delhi, completed in the 17th century, the old town of Corfu in Greece, and archeological remains in Samarra, Iraq.

The Sydney Opera House is among the world’s busiest performing arts centres, attracting an estimated 4.5 million visitors each year. It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in October 1973 and cost $(Australian) 102 million to build. It is 185 metres long and 120 metres wide. The building has more than a million tiles on the roof. Its roof sections, weighing up to 15 tonnes, are held together by 350 kilometres of tensioned steel cable.
The engineering company Ove Amp & Partners accepted the challenge to construct the building, describing the project as “an adventure into the unknown.” There are currently more than 830 sites on the World Heritage list, which has been updated regularly since 1972.