_root.TextBody = "As part of the Sydney Opera House 20th Anniversary celebrations, this plaque was unveiled to honour the original architect, Joern Utzon. It illustrates in three dimensional detail his Spherical Solution for the design of the Sydney Opera House shells. Utzon\'s daughter, Lin, and her children Mika and Naja were present at the unveiling.\r\rJoern Utzon was born in 1918, in Copenhagen, Denmark. His father, Aage Utzon, was a naval architect who studied in England and had been based at the two Danish towns of Aalborg, and later, Helsingor. \r\rJoern was an extremely talented drawer, and in 1937 he enrolled at the Royal Academy of Arts (Kunstakademiet) in Copenhagen. He studied under a number of notable teachers, and became very interested in the architecture of ancient civilisations; in particular, Chinese, Greek, Mayan and Incan.\r \rGraduating in 1942, he left Denmark which was under Nazi occupation, and moved to Sweden. He lived in Sweden for a few years, continuing to learn and develop while being exposed to architectural concepts from around the world. He was particularly fascinated with the notion that architecture and design can be taken from elements in nature. \r\rHe subsequently returned to Denmark, and at the end of the 1940\'s began to travel. It was in Mexico where he was able to witness Mayan and Incan architecture, and this was to have a profound impact on him.\r\rUpon returning to Denmark, he entered a number of architectural competitions, winning several. Two notable designs were for separate Danish housing constructions, one at Kingo and the other at Fredensborg. Both designs took into consideration the nature of the site, and the needs of the individual.\r\rIn 1955 he became aware of an international competition to design an opera house for Sydney, Australia. He paid the $20 registration fee, and began to compose his ideas. The idea of the Spherical Solution came to Utzon several years after the commencement of construction. \r\rJoern Utzon resigned in unpleasant cirumstances in 1966, and the Spherical Solution plaque has been one in many steps towards a reconciliation between the Sydney Opera House and Utzon. For the 25th anniversary of the House in October 1998, the Sydney Opera House Trust, in conjunction with the State Government and the City of Sydney, established the Utzon Foundation. Joern Utzon prepared a taped video message for the inauguration, which highlighted the festivities. \r\t\rIn 1999, Joern Utzon was appointed as a design consultant to the Sydney Opera House. The appointment was made to gain his unique insight into the process of addressing the future design needs of the building, ensuring that any future changes to the House will be consistent with Utzon\'s design principles. \r\rThe resultant Statement of Design Principles, developed with Utzon\'s son and partner, Jan, and Richard Johnson, of architectural firm Denton Corker Marshall, will be a permanent reference for the long-term conservation and management of the Sydney Opera House.\r";
