At its 40th Anniversary in 2013, the Sydney Opera House launched a decade of Renewal works with the primary objective of preparing the building for the needs and expectations of future generations of artists, audiences and visitors.

Works included extensive front-of-house and back-of-house JST renewals and an accessibility masterplan to realise equity and social inclusion. A new connection between the Southern Foyer and the Northern Foyers, a bespoke bronze and glass lift designed to fit between the existing concrete ribs and façade’s complex geometry.

Crafted detailing of the brushbox timber panels, expressed concrete walls and bronze accent elements dress the space, establishing it as a natural extension of the foyers language and referencing both Utzon and Peter Hall’s work.

The Sydney Opera House facade was altered to seamlessly integrate the new lift, utlising elegant structural elements that frame a transparent shaft, giving the illusion that it dissolves into the existing building form and reflection of the harbour.