Maybe the future holds another masterpiece on a par with the Sydney Opera House? An international competition launched by the Utzon Center in celebration of Jørn Utzon’s centennial anniversary invites young creative talents to reimagine the Danish architect Jørn Utzon’s (1918-2008) working drawings for some of his unbuilt works.
Throughout his life, Jørn Utzon insisted on the absolute importance of architecture. According to Utzon, architecture was not just a passive backdrop for people’s lives, but a form of art purposed to organise and mediate the experience of dwelling authentically, poetically. He was brilliant and uncompromising in his work, and this was partly why so many of his projects remain unreleased.
The new international competition, UNBUILT, sets out to shine some light on dignified and meaningful projects that never left the drawing board. For the purpose of the competition, Utzon Center is opening up a treasure chest of his designs hidden in his personal archives inviting today’s talents to analyse, interpret and visualise design of significant projects using digital drawing tools. As an introduction to the competition, the lecture will offer an in-depth conversation about the architectural intentions that underpin the work and manner by Jørn Utzon. We shall be discussing the way in which his approach evolved, his sources of inspirations, experiences of influence and works of significance.
