Utzon Center

Facts

By Malene Abildgaard, Arkitekt maa - arkitekturformidler i Utzon Center (1 story)

The Utzon Center is designed by the Danish Architect, Jørn Utzon (1918-2008) in cooperation with his son, Kim Utzon. The opening of the Utzon Center took place on May 28th 2008, and it is the last building designed by Jørn Utzon who became world famous and renowned for the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Jørn Utzon wished that the Utzon Center would be a living, cultural house, where people would gather and inspire each other. Since the opening the Utzon Center has housed different, changing archicture and art exhibitions, concerts, lectures and conferences. In the hallway there is a permanent exhibition showing sketches and photos from a large part of Jørn Utzons different projects.

Public place

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Utzon on the cliffs of Mallorca

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Story written by Christoffer Harlang

Time / Periode 1971

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In 1971, a man built a house on a Mallorcan cliff side that made the locals look twice. Perching on the cliff edge, the building looked both dramatic and poetic. It consisted of five small interconnected, offset units forming a complex of inner courtyards behind a continuous, closed wall. The house also attracted great international attention, being regarded as both wholly modern and altogether traditional; international and local . The man was the Danish architect Jørn Utzon, and the house was named after his wife Lis and was built for himself and his family, when they decided to settle on the Spanish island after Utzon's work on the Sydney Opera House. Utzon had studied local building traditions, and elaborated on the use of a special local gold-hued stone and tiled ceiling arches. The materials and construction techniques were simple, but the design and daylighting of the house was state-of-the-art innovation that inspired a world of possibilities in modern architecture. For visitors to 'Can Lis' the building stands as if it had grown out of the cliff; as if it had always been there. But also as the greatest accolade to Utzon's lifelong achievement in giving us wonderful housing and public spaces.