Across the curator's desk - Peter Hall's 1968 travel ...
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Across the curator's desk - Peter Hall's 1968 travel sketchbook Published on State Library of NSW (https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au) Page 1 of 3
Transcript of Across the curator's desk - Peter Hall's 1968 travel ...
Across the curator's desk - Peter Hall's 1968 travel sketchbookPublished on State Library of NSW (https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au)
Page 1 of 3
Across the curator's desk - Peter Hall's 1968 travel sketchbookPublished on State Library of NSW (https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au)
What is this item?
This is a 1968 travel sketchbook of Peter Hall, the architect who took on the job to finish the construction of theSydney Opera House after the resignation of Jorn Utzon in 1966.
Why is it important?
After Peter Hall (as part of the consortium Hall, Todd and Littlemore) accepted the position of design architect forthe Opera House he went on an extensive study tour of Europe, USA and Japan, especially to gather ideas on howto resolve the difficulties of the concert hall seating and acoustic design. Hall took on the job in an incredibly hostileenvironment – many people in the architectural community were protesting to bring back Utzon and doubted Hall’sability to complete the project. However, Hall was a talented and passionate architect – he won the Sir JohnSulman Award in 1965 for his work on the dining hall at Goldstein Hall, University of New South Wales. He hadcompleted a traineeship with the NSW Government Architect’s Office, where many of the best and brightest of theprofession learnt their trade. In collaboration with engineers Ove Arup and Partners, Hall resolved a number ofcomplex technical issues with the design of the concert hall and the enclosing glass walls despite an environmentof political turbulence and constant scrutiny. This sketchbook shows Hall’s design thinking and attempts to solvemany of the problems he grappled with in the process of bringing the Opera House to fruition.
Why is it on your desk?
To prepare for a small display in the Library’s AMAZE gallery from February 5.
How did it get here?
The Library acquired Peter Hall’s archive [1] of sketchbooks, photographs and personal correspondence from hiswork on the Sydney Opera House project in 2018.
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Across the curator's desk - Peter Hall's 1968 travel sketchbookPublished on State Library of NSW (https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au)
Anna Corkhill, Curator, Research and Discovery
Source URL:https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/blogs/across-curators-desk-peter-halls-1968-travel-sketchbook
Links[1] https://search.sl.nsw.gov.au/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=ADLIB110630009&context=L&vid=SLNSW&search_scope=MOH&tab=default_tab&lang=en_US
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