ARCHITECT ON MINISTER

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31081, 9 June 1966, Page 22

ARCHITECT ON MINISTER

Like “Speaking To A Wall” (N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) COPENHAGEN, June 7. The Danish architect, Mr Joern Utzon, said in an interview published today that he could “just as well have spoken to a wall” when discussing the multi-million pound opera house with the Govrenment’s architect in Sydney.

To “politikens” correspondent in Lubeck, West Germany, where the architect was presented with the West German architects’ international honorary prize for the building yesterday, Utzon explained that “the complete lack of understanding was one of his most serious points of criticism.

“How on earth can (Davis) Hughes (the Minister of Public Works in New South Wales) bring himself to believe that I would shoulder the responsibility for a £lO million project.

“I find it surprising,” Mr Utzon said, “that he can be so naive as to imaging he could dump me and successfully complete the opera himself. “It shocks me to think that professional and general recognition of my work and of the opera house itself as an architectually valuable building for centuries to come cannot sway Hughes into allowing me to complete the job,” Mr Utzon added.

He said he would be prepared to return to the project at once “providing there was no more outside interference.”