{"id":377244,"date":"2025-12-29T02:19:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T02:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/377244\/"},"modified":"2025-12-29T02:19:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T02:19:10","slug":"debate-erupts-over-plan-to-add-handrails-to-heritage-listed-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/377244\/","title":{"rendered":"Debate erupts over plan to add handrails to heritage-listed site"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe steps should be retained unaltered.\u201d<\/p>\n

Architect Andrew Andersons, who worked on the upgrade of Circular Quay and the Opera House forecourt in the 1980s, is also railing against the handrails, expressing concerns that they would undermine the building\u2019s original design by Danish architect Utzon in 1957.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Opera House is arguably the most renowned 20th-century building in the world, and to put in handrails as some sort of tack-on is a complete contradiction of Utzon\u2019s design,\u201d Andersons said.<\/p>\n

\"Sydney<\/p>\n

Sydney architect Andrew Andersons fears the project could undermine the grandeur of the House.Credit: James Brickwood<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you think of other landmarks around the world \u2013 the Helsinki Cathedral, the Spanish Steps in Rome \u2013 they don\u2019t have handrails. Why does the Opera House need them?<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s just another manifestation of Australia becoming a nanny state and part of our ideological problem of tinkering with everything in the name of ticking some sort of box.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter how well you design or detail the handrails, they won\u2019t be any good because they weren\u2019t in the original design and don\u2019t belong there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People to have climbed the steps include Queen Camilla and King Charles, pictured here during their royal visit in 2024.Credit: Wolter Peeters<\/p>\n

The addition of handrails has been backed by the Australian Disability Network, whose spokeswoman said the project would ensure visitors of all mobility needs can safely navigate the 80 steps of the 100-metre-wide walkway.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor venues like the Sydney Opera House with heritage considerations, installing handrails on the monumental steps is exactly this kind of pragmatic, achievable change that improves inclusion while respecting cultural significance,\u201d the spokeswoman said.<\/p>\n

Loading<\/p>\n

Architect Philip Cox \u2013 whose work includes the Sydney Football Stadium, the Maritime Museum and King Street Wharf \u2013 said the debate surrounding the handrails was indicative of common difficulties involved in preserving the city\u2019s architectural masterpieces while ensuring they comply with 21st century requirements.<\/p>\n

Similar debate has surrounded accessibility upgrades of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, including the contentious addition of a bike ramp at the northern end of the bridge that could improve connectivity for cyclists<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very challenging for modern additions to be done in a way that are sympathetic with the original design of heritage buildings, and if they\u2019re not done carefully, it can detract from the very reasons landmarks are so significant,\u201d Cox said.<\/p>\n

Architect Penelope Seidler, wife of the late Harry Seidler, who has been visiting the Opera House since its opening in the 1970s, said the steps were a \u201csignificant component\u201d of Utzon\u2019s design, which had drawn inspiration from Mayan temples and had \u201cshown no handrails\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my elderly opinion, the existing rails should be sensitively redesigned in bronze, but I don\u2019t support down the middle of the steps because this would destroy their important visual impact,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"Architect<\/p>\n

Architect Penelope Seidler has mixed thoughts about the proposal.Credit: <\/p>\n

The Opera House spokeswoman said the handrails trial had been the subject of extensive consultation and reviews by the Opera House design advisory panel.<\/p>\n

She said the Opera House would consider feedback from the NSW Heritage Council\u2019s approval committee, which also called for the exploration of \u201cnon-intrusive\u201d accessibility options.<\/p>\n

Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cThe steps should be retained unaltered.\u201d Architect Andrew Andersons, who worked on the upgrade of Circular Quay and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":377245,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[449,458,459,64,63,460,134],"class_list":{"0":"post-377244","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-au","12":"tag-australia","13":"tag-design","14":"tag-entertainment"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=377244"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377244\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/377245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=377244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=377244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=377244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}