About opusSOH

opusSOH is an incorporated association established in 2015 to research, document and promote the history of Stage 3 of the design and construction of Sydney Opera House – the seven years after architect Jørn Utzon’s withdrawal in February 1966 to its opening in 1973. Members of opusSOH include architects, interior designers, consultants – many of whom worked on the project – and others who share an interest in the completion of the building after Utzon.

Background

The catalyst for the association’s formation was the doctoral thesis ‘Peter Hall and the Sydney Opera House: the “lost” years 1966-70’ for which Anne Watson was awarded a PhD by Sydney University in 2014. The product of six years extensive research, the thesis explored in detail for the first time the work of Peter Hall as design architect in the consortium, Hall Todd & Littlemore, formed to complete the building after Utzon. It focused on the main areas of the building whose design was still unresolved in early 1966, principally the Major and Minor Halls, the northern glass walls and the seating. The thesis provided new perspectives on this largely untold story of the Sydney Opera House and underlined the need for a credible publication to dispel misconceptions and reach a wider audience.

With that in mind opusSOH raised the funds to support publication of a book written by Dr Watson, based on her thesis. Titled The Poisoned Chalice: Peter Hall and the Sydney Opera House, the 245-page paperback was published by opusSOH Inc and launched at the Opera House in August 2017.