Utzon Center

Jorn Utzon grew up in Aalborg, where his father was a naval architect, and the building he designed with his son on the waterfront there, opened in 2008 shortly before his death, was his last. It is a group of workshop and gallery volumes around a courtyard, with curved roofs of different heights that echo boat hulls and sails, in concrete, timber and zinc. Inside are exhibition spaces used for architecture and design shows, a library, a workshop hall used by architecture students, and a permanent presentation of Utzon's own work, above all the Sydney Opera House, with drawings, models and film covering the competition, the construction and the dispute that led him to leave the project.

History

Jørn Utzon grew up in Aalborg, spending much of his boyhood sailing on the Limfjord or at the wharf where his father worked as a shipbuilding engineer, and ships remained a lasting inspiration for his work. The idea of a centre came from Aalborg University's School of Architecture and Design: on the initiative of Adrian Carter, the Utzon Research Center was set up in 2003, a symposium and summer school that August drew 150 participants from around the world, and with support from Sydney, the European Union and the Obel Foundation the plan grew into a new building. Utzon and his son Kim were invited to design it, and in August 2005, when Utzon was 87, their plans for a 2,700 square metre exhibition and research centre on the waterfront were presented; Utzon hoped it would be a place where architecture students would come together to discuss their ideas. The building was completed in 2008, the year he died, and was his last (Wikipedia, Utzon Center).

What's there

• Utzon's last building - completed in 2008, the year he died.
• Curved hull-like roofs - volumes around a courtyard on the waterfront.
• The Sydney Opera House archive - drawings, models and film of the project.
• The student workshop hall - the working half of the building.

When to go

Year round. Two hours. Closed Mondays outside high season. Exhibitions change several times a year, so the temporary content varies. The waterfront outside is a good walk in any weather.

Practical notes

The permanent Utzon display is smaller than the building suggests and much of the space is given to temporary shows. It is a specialist interest. The ticket price is high for the content. The cafe has limited hours.

Nearby

Aalborg centre and Kunsten are a short walk; Lindholm Hoje lies across the fjord.

Key facts