Building and heritage management
The Opera House is one of the great buildings of the 20th century and Australia’s pre-eminent performing arts venue. The epitome of excellence and creativity, it elevates and enriches the human experience. Its heritage significance is founded in:
- The Opera House’s function, form, materials, colour, spaces and setting;
- Its unique combination of architecture, engineering, design and the performing arts;
- The building’s central role in the life of the city and in Australian culture and identity; and
- The cultural traditions of the Gadigal and the connection to Country.
Find out more about our inscription on the UNESCO World, National and State heritage registers.
Our commitment to heritage conservation
The Sydney Opera House is committed to conserve all aspects of the Opera House's heritage significance for our current and future generations.
Read the Heritage Conservation Statement (PDF) and learn about how are conserving our building's heritage.
Conservation Management Plan
The Opera House’s latest Conservation Management Plan (CMP) –‘Respecting the Vision: Sydney Opera House – A Conservation Management Plan’ – provides detailed guidance on conservation and management at an important moment in the Opera House's Decade of Renewal.
Conserving and celebrating our heritage
We are transforming the building for future generations while respecting and preserving the very features that make it unique.
Heritage Action Plan
As temporary custodians of this State, National and World Heritage site, we are committed to ensuring the Sydney Opera House’s heritage significance – the building and its functions as a performing arts centre and gathering place for the community – is conserved and celebrated for current and future generations.
Conservation Council and Design Advisory Panel
The Sydney Opera House Conservation Council and Design Advisory Panel provide specialist conservation, heritage and design advice to the Trust and the organisation.
Sydney Opera House collections
The Sydney Opera House’s collections allow us to immerse ourselves in the history and legacy of one of the world’s most admired buildings. Spread across seven decades, the collections span the history of construction through to the performances, events and historic moments on its stages.
Learn more about our building and heritage
Jørn Utzon AC
His mastery in fusing craft traditions and ancient architecture with modernist thinking infused his designs for the Sydney Opera House.
Art at the House
Discover the tapestries and paintings which complete the building's interiors, bringing colour and their own stories to Bennelong Point.
Tapestries at the House
The four tapestries that call the Opera House home reveal fascinating stories about the Opera House’s rich cultural heritage and design legacy.
