A Landmark Opens on Sydney Harbour
A cluster of white shapes rises above the water in Sydney, Australia. From a distance, they can look like sails catching the wind. They are actually part of the roof of the Sydney Opera House, a place built for music, theater, and other performances. When it officially opened on October 20, 1973, the building had already taken many years of planning and construction.
An unusual design
In the 1950s, the government of New South Wales held an international competition to find a design for a new performing arts center. Danish architect Jørn Utzon won with a bold idea for a building on Bennelong Point, a piece of land reaching into Sydney Harbour. His design placed large, curved roof sections above the performance spaces.
The waterfront site made the building easy to see from many directions. But the striking roof also created a difficult problem: builders needed to turn Utzon’s drawings into structures that could stand safely and be constructed again and again.
Finding a way to build it
Construction began in 1959. The roof sections, often called shells, were especially challenging. Engineers and architects worked on ways to make their curved shapes. Eventually, they developed a design in which the shells could be formed using sections based on the surface of a sphere, or ball.
- precast concrete:
- Concrete formed into pieces before being lifted into place.
- architect:
- A person who designs buildings.
- competition:
- An event in which people try to win by doing or creating something.
- structures:
- Things built from parts joined together.
- resigned:
- Left a job or position.
- interiors:
- The inside spaces of buildings.
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Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
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Summarize
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Purpose
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Structure
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Vocabulary
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Writing Prompts
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What is the main idea of the passage, and which two details support it?
- 2Why did the roof design create a problem for the builders?
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About this explanatory article passage for Upper Elementary
“A Landmark Opens on Sydney Harbour” is a explanatory article reading passage about Sydney Opera House, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (464 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.