Maptek used long range laser scanners, typically used to capture data in mines, to accurately record the Sydney Harbour area. Recording the context in which Sydney Opera House sits was also important. So the team worked round the clock to capture the entire exterior of Sydney Opera House – and much of its interior – without disturbing visitors. A flying fox system was used to transfer the rig from one shell to another.īut even the rig couldn’t cover every angle, and the Sydney Opera House rope-access team carried out abseil scans of the most challenging areas.Įvery auditorium was busy day and night for the duration of the project. So the Scottish Ten team worked with the on-site building management team to design and build a rig to enable scanning from the spines that run along the top of the shells. Scanning of the Sydney Opera House took place over 20 days in April 2013.Ĭomplete coverage of the vaulted shells was impossible from ground level.

Digitally documenting the building will support its ongoing management, conservation, interpretation and educational programmes.Ĭhoosing to digitally document a more modern building also served to highlight the Scottish Ten’s remit to benefit historic buildings of all ages, shapes and sizes. Sydney Opera House was chosen as one of the Scottish Ten in the run-up to its 40th anniversary, celebrated in 2013. Inside are two main halls and seven performance venues. This example of late modern architecture is a feat of structural engineering and a world-class venue for the performing arts. UNESCO inscribed Sydney Opera House as a World Heritage Site in 2007.

Opened in 1973, the building is now a national treasure, attracting more than 8 million visitors a year. A judge is said to have rescued Utzon’s design from the pile of rejections, however, marking it out as visionary. Engineers had to redesign the construction method for the shells 12 times over six years to find a way to create the structure.ĭanish architect Jørn Utzon won the competition to design Sydney Opera House – even though his design didn’t make the original shortlist. Its design of interlocking vaulted shells, resembling a white sail, pushed architecture to new limits. Sydney Opera House is one of the world's most iconic buildings. Capturing every angle of the Scottish Ten’s most modern structure involved abseil scans of the most challenging areas as well as scanning from the shells’ spines using a custom-built rig.

Who designed sydney opera house