TAS & VET – Architecture Unboxed at Sydney Opera House

15 of our Design and Technology students headed to the Sydney Opera House for the Architecture Unboxed workshop.

The session had students learning to draw and think like architects, exploring the legacy of the Opera House’s designer, Danish architect Jørn Utzon, and examining how architecture shapes the way people experience cities and public spaces. Sydney Opera House

From the building’s conception to completion, students discovered how it pushed the limits of engineering, construction and design. Key themes included drawing and model-making, environmental design, engineering, and global perspectives on placemaking. All a great fit for our Design and Technology curriculum. 

All materials were provided on the day, and students came away with a real appreciation for how bold, creative thinking can transform not just a building, but an entire city’s identity.

Last Wednesday, myself and my Design and Technology elective class travelled to the Sydney Opera House for an Architectural Workshop. During this workshop, our friendly instructors first presented the role of architects in the modern world and the history of the Opera House’s construction. I found it very interesting to learn about the origins from a design submission into a competition by Danish architect, Jørn Utzon, and the inspiration and construction challenges. With this in mind, we were challenged to create two models with complementing sketches. For the first model, I was given a piece of folded cardboard. Taking inspiration from its natural bend and a female architect I admire, Zaha Hadid, I gently bent and stuck the piece onto a base using masking tape. I then sketched its circular shape and embraced the small section that bent the other way into the design. I was then given an opportunity to present this inspiration and how it would be a building in the real world. In the second model, following similar inspiration, I cut the piece of paper into three main pieces, curved each piece and stuck them onto each other and sketched its shape. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and found it allowed me to be creative and apply the design principles I learnt in class into different contexts and constraints.

Mariah S
Year 10