Utzon received the prestigious Pritzker prize for architecture in 2003 with the jury singling out the Opera House as one of the most iconic buildings of the 20th century, arguing it "proves that the marvellous and seemingly impossible in architecture can be achieved".

A member of the pantheon of the 20th century's architectural greats, Utzon was haunted - but insisted he was not embittered - by the disastrous end of his relationship with Sydney and what has become the city's iconic harbourside symbol. He left the project after a battle over design and cost led to the appointment of Government architects to take over the project and finish its interiors with no bearing to his original designs.

And despite its enormous beauty and almost mythical shape, the Opera House remains mired in argument about poor acoustics and lack of space in its most important theatres.