Sydney Opera House conservation plan

-31­affecting the Opera House and its site’ and to ‘establish planning principles…which were consistent with the design principles of JørnUtzon’. The work included a review of the 1997 Master Plan Report(Sydney Opera House media release, 1.9.1998). Skrzynski also referred to theengagement of James Semple Kerr to ‘update the conservation plan’.Kerr’s revised plan was completed in May 1999 but it was overtaken bynegotiations for the return of Utzon to advise on the Opera House anda further revision of the conservation plan was commissioned in 2002.Jørn Utzon re-engagedIn August 1999 Utzon accepted the Premier’s invitation to provideadvice to the Sydney Opera House Trust. His commission included thepreparation of a statement of design principles which, in his ownwords, was to ‘be used as a permanent reference for the long-termconservation and management of the House and for any redevelopmentof interiors as and when that becomes necessary.’ He continued‘it is right that we should be looking forward to the future of theSydney Opera House and not back to the past. For this reason,I believe Richard Johnson and future architects should have the freedomto use up-to-date technology to find solutions to the problems oftoday and tomorrow’ (Utzon in the Sydney Opera House Trust Annual Report for 2000,pages 36–37).A program developedFor the Trust, the appointment was a ‘key element in the process ofdeveloping a Strategic Building Plan for the House and its site’. Thefirst public fruits of this process were the simultaneous release in May2002 of the Design Principles and a six-part Venue Improvement Plan(developed for the Trust by Richard Johnson, now of Johnson PiltonWalker, in collaboration with Utzon) together with the Premier’sannouncement of an allocation of $45,000,000 for major venueimprovements (SOHT Press Release and Premier of NSW News Release, both of 29.5.2002;Skrzynski to Kerr, 3.6.2002). This was added to an earlier allocation of$24,300,000 to make a total of $69,300,000.The proposed work covered the refurbishment of the Opera Theatreand alterations to make the orchestra pit habitable, the improvement ofConcert Hall acoustics, the refurbishment of the Reception Hall, thepartial opening of the western foyer at Broadwalk level to its harboursetting together with a covering loggia, and the development of theforecourt as a performance venue. The last is the only one that cancreate serious heritage problems and these are discussed on pages 48and 49.