Hosted by UNSW Australia, the Fourth International Utzon Symposium will extend previous research on Utzon’s oeuvre and ask the question: ‘What would Utzon do now?’

Jørn Utzon (1918-2008) is internationally recognised as one of the most original, innovative and socially concerned of modern architects and, perhaps, one of the greatest exponents of the humanistic Nordic tradition within modern architecture.

Utzon is best known for his poetic public architecture, such as the Bagsværd Church in Denmark, the Meli Bank in Tehran, the Kuwait National Assembly and, of course, the international icon that is the Sydney Opera House. It is appropriate that the debate surrounding Utzon should return to the location of his most significant yet controversial creation and be inspired by Utzon’s legacy.

Keynote speaker: Juhani Pallasmaa

Centred around the themes of Architecture, City Making and Political Economy, the Symposium is designed to be inter-disciplinary – reflecting Utzon’s diverse influences and attributes – and explore advances in the design, delivery and management of architecture and, more broadly, urban environments.

The Symposium’s objectives are: to promote debate about the role of cultural production within urban contexts; encourage dialogue across cultural, political and economic boundaries; and contribute to the current thinking in academia and practice regarding the tensions and synergies between cultural production, politics, economy and the city.

Keynote speaker: Vishaan Chakrabarti

Bringing together leading academics, practitioners and students from across the globe, the Symposium will include keynote speakers from Asia, the USA, Europe and Australia and a selection of the Symposium’s academic papers will be published in book form.

Keynote speakers include: Juhani Pallasmaa, Finnish architect, former Professor at Helsinki University of Technology, former Director of the Museum of Finnish Architecture Vishaan Chakrabarti, Marc Holliday Associate Professor of Real Estate Development Liu Jiakun, Founder and Principle Architect of Jiakun Architect.

Keynote speaker: Liu Jiakun

The 4th International Utzon Symposium at UNSW is presented in collaboration with the Jørn Utzon Research Network (JURN) and the Utzon Research Center (URC), the University of Portsmouth, UK and Aalborg University, Denmark.

The 4th International Utzon Symposium will be held at The Sydney Opera House and University of New South Wales, Sydney CBD from 7-9 March, 2014.

be.unsw.edu.au/utzonsymposium