Thursday, December 28, 2006

Opera in blue


One of my readers asked me for a detail of the Opera House - can you see how the roofs are covered in tiles? 1.056 million tiles exactly. Have a look below: don't they look like ordinary 100x100 bathroom tiles? From a distance they just look white but in fact architect Jørn Utzon, a perfection-freak, selected high-quality glossy white and matte cream Swedish-made tiles which were laid in an intricate chevron pattern. Best quality and high refinement with no concern for the cost, this is typical of Utzon's way. His budget exploded, but today let's just enjoy!

Un visiteur m'a demandé de montrer l'Opéra de Sydney en détail - voyez comme il est recouvert de carrelage ? 1 056 million de carreaux ! Ne dirait-on pas de très ordinaires 10x10 de salle de bains ? En fait l'architecte Jørn Utzon, un ultra-perfectioniste, a sélectionné des carreaux blanc brillant et crème mat fabriqués en Suède qu'il a fait poser selon un subtil motif en chevrons. De loin pourtant, on ne voit que du blanc. C'est bien dans la manière d'Utzon: sans considération pour le coût, rechercher la meilleure qualité et le plus grand raffinement, même si cela se voit peu. Son budget a explosé mais aujourd'hui, quel régal !

15 comments:

Olivier said...

sur la premiere photo, cela m'a fait penser aux oreilles de mickey ;o) et sur la derniere, à un immense eventail. vraiment tres graphique cet opera.


on the first photograph, that made me think of the ears mickey; O) and on the last, with an immense fan. really very graphic this opera.

Reflex said...

Superbe! On voit toujours l'opéra dans son integralité, mais là... superbement détaillée, merci et bravo!

GiuCe said...

beauty place!... the first pic looks like a detail of a heart ^.^


...snowflakes effect is html code ;)

JaamZIN said...

Such a special view..being this close it looks like the skin of snakes.

alice said...

J'ai été très surprise quand j'ai vu ces carreaux de près, je ne savais pas du tout que l'Opéra de Sydney était ainsi recouvert "en dur", sa silhouette évoque davantage quelque chose de plus aérien, comme une voilure...

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the information. Both shots are great. Your post reminds me of a woman I knew who was also a perfectionist and asked a decorator to paint her living room walls 4 shades of white, one on each wall, so it would look the same at all times of day. Isn't that nuts??

isa said...

I wonder how many tile installers were engaged to handle 1+ million tiles? And are they still seeing tiles in their sleep?
Very informative post, Nathalie - merci!

Unknown said...

Great building. I always look forward to seeing the harbour when I get off the train at Central station. Don't know when our next visit will be though.

Jazzy said...

stunning photos.

Nathalie, have a great New Year’s eve and all the best in 2007.

Unknown said...

Wow, intricate design. I also thought it looked like the top part of a heart.

Anonymous said...

The tiles are not all white to avoid the dazzling effect for ships entering in the Harbour... Very clever the Danish!...

Les carreaux ne sont pas tous blanc pour éviter d'éblouir les bateaux qui entrent dans la Baie...
Malin le Danois!...

Kate said...

Talent demands perfection! Thanks for the close-up views. I, however, would prefer to see it in person! I can always dream!

Unknown said...

I visited the Opera House in the evening, I remember I had some similar pictures but in the dark. haha..

Did you take the special sink pictures? :)

Cergie said...

Magnifique, je n'aurais pas imaginé une si belle finition

Je crois que j'ai fait ici le parallèle entre Beaubourg et l'opéra de sydney, ce matin j'étais près de Beaubourg
Faut aimer... C'est moins "sculptural"

Meg said...

The close-up look surprisingly mundane - not sure what I was expecting... Still, this is one of the most stunning structures on this planet, I think.