Sydney Opera House BUILD Secondary School Design Challenge
Terms 1 – 3
Upon application by schools
Program details
Upon application by schools
Recommended for Year 9 and 10 students.
To find out more about participating in Sydney Opera House BUILD, please contact Alana Ambados, Creative Learning Manager.
Sir Ove ArupEngineering is not a science. Science studies particular events to find general laws. Engineering design makes use of the laws to solve particular practical problems. In this it is more closely related to art or craft.
Program Partner Ove Arup Foundation
“An independent UK charity, the Ove Arup Foundation honours the memory of engineer, designer and philosopher, Sir Ove Arup. By funding educational programmes and initiatives, the foundation drives values of innovation and inclusive design, with a strong emphasis on sustainability and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Sir Ove Arup was involved in the original design of Sydney Opera House, which began in the 1950s, and his firm Arup continues to play a pivotal role in the building’s long-term development and preservation plan.
Danish architect Jørn Utzon won an international competition for the project in 1957. As the industry’s eminent concrete designer, Sir Ove Arup’s contribution was sought early on, and he began to turn Utzon’s freeform sketches into an architectural reality. Sir Ove Arup’s team confronted an engineering challenge that has since become one of the profession’s epic tales – the design and construction of the building’s enormous, precast concrete shells.”
Meet the facilitators
Frida Las Vegas is the moniker of Australian artist and designer Stavroula Adameitis. Stavroula celebrates artefacts of popular culture through an Antipodean lens, creating visually bombastic graphics, textiles, installations and collaborations across mediums as ‘kitsch camouflage’ for people who stand out.Emboldened by her travels, Stavroula embarked on a creative journey to explore the symbols, places and faces of her memories growing up in the thick of Down Under suburbia at the junction point of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Founding FRIDA LAS VEGAS in 2013, Stavroula quickly discovered others shared her passion for graphic glamour, cheeky humour, unapologetic self-expression and nostalgic reverie. These loud and proud pop culture vultures from all corners of the globe have welcomed FRIDA LAS VEGAS into their wardrobes and homes, united by a mutual love of colour and bold aesthetics.
Sarah Fitzgerald is a Sydney based artist with a Master’s in Fine Arts from the National Art School in Sydney and a degree in Architecture from the University of Sydney. She works concurrently in architecture, design, art and education. Her art practice is interdisciplinary and includes painting, sculpture, drawing and large-scale installation. She is interested in contemporary issues of place and identity and the role different types of structures, such as language, architecture, and urbanization, affect the way we live and communicate with each other. Through her art practice she explores the interface between art and architecture and how these two disciplines reflect the way we construct and occupy space.
Amanda Torrisi is a maker, thinker, and artist who earned their Bachelor of Prop Making from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). An innovator at heart, Amanda co-founded the Queer Committee during her time at NIDA, leading the charge for NIDA’s LGBTQIA+ students to participate in their first-ever Sydney Mardi Gras parade. Growing up, Amanda had a great love for storytelling, often building and directing shows for the neighbourhood out of their parents garage. After getting lost in the mundane world of adulting, and trying to find an “real job” Amanda decided to change the course of their life by studying production design at the Design Centre Enmore TAFE where they rekindled their childhood love for the arts. In their work as a prop maker for film, TV, and theatre, Amanda has contributed to projects ranging from: Thor: Love and Thunder, The Fall Guy to Heartbreak High and many award-winning independent short films and plays. Amanda’s project choices are guided by the uniqueness and significance of the stories being told.
Matthew Aberline began his career in costume design, where he designed Hamlet for John Bell and the Bell Shakespeare Co, and was part of the design team for Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, The Gruffalo series, and The 13 Storey Treehouse series. Subsequently he now focuses on his highly illustrated textile public artworks and cultural programming, and has created commissions for the The State Gallery of NSW, The National Library of Australia, and The Powerhouse Museum in Australia, and international commissions for The United Nations General Assembly, World Pride / World Trade Center Oculus in New York, the Australian Consulate in London, and the Glow Festival in Shenzhen in China.
Antonia Pesenti was awarded the Sydney University Medal and moved to Paris after finishing her degree in architecture. Antonia worked in Paris for 8 years, with Ateliers Jean Nouvel and Agence Philippe Starck. Parallel to her work as an architect, Antonia spent her time documenting Paris through drawing, developing a passion for illustration and picture books. Today she combines directing the multidisciplinary design practice Studio Fable with illustrating/designing and making beautiful books including the bestselling Alphabetical Sydney. She is known for her cross disciplinary and imaginative approach to a diverse range of projects spanning from interior design through to graphic design, placemaking and public art projects.
Charemaine Seet is a dancer and choreographer with a longstanding passion for arts education. As a principal dancer she has performed in pioneering companies in London and New York. She has extensive training in classical ballet, contemporary dance practice, martial arts and Hip Hop. Charemaine is the director of Seet Dance, a leading space for innovative dance education and performance in Sydney. Seet Dancers collaborate with groundbreaking artists, performing at leading cultural institutions like Carriageworks and the Art Gallery of NSW. She has also taught workshops at leading arts institutions including the Juilliard School in New York and Wesleyan University. In 2023, her students became the first non Merce Cunningham Company dancers to perform a full Cunningham work in Australia. Charemaine has been creating movement workshops for Sydney Opera House since 2021.
Poppin’ Jack (Jack Wardana) has been dancing for as long as he can remember and has worked hard and passionately to get to where he is today. Through years of experience learning from some of the best in the world, Jack has gained knowledge, recognition and a deeper understanding of dance and how to teach. Jack has been involved in the street dance community since 2002 and attended the Newtown High School of the Performing Arts. Running events to nurture and grow the Australian community Jack is seen as a major influence in building, shaping and guiding the younger generation of dancers. Jack has represented Australia at competitions in America, Japan, South Korea, China, Singapore, New Zealand and Taiwan. In 2017 Jack and his Popping team competed in the KOD Street Dance World Cup Asian Qualifier in Seoul South Korea where they beat China and Japan to gain entry into the 2018 KOD Street Dance World Cup.
Tegan Murdock is a proud member of Barkindtji, Maurara, Yorta Yorta and Duduroa tribes. Tegan learnt the art of weaving from her Mum, and now she passes on this treasured skill through her business, Ngumpie Weaving. Ngumpie in Barkindji language translates to "Beautiful" - which is what Tegan's grandmother called her. Weaving can be healing, a powerful meditative tool, a chance to connect with other people, and a way to help people come together in challenging times.
About STEAMpop
STEAMpop is a creative education consultancy that designs and delivers unique hands-on, transdisciplinary experiences exploring innovative approaches to STEAM learning. Working across education, community and corporate contexts, STEAMpop creates playful and imaginative making experiences that bring together the Arts, STEM and creative thinking. Through collaboration with artists, designers and other creative practitioners, STEAMpop develops high-quality experiences that combine STEM concepts with the beauty of the handmade. Its work contributes to contemporary research and practice in transdisciplinary learning and transformative educational experiences.
Attending this program
Venue information
Please ensure that your group arrives at the venue 30 minutes prior to the performance start time. Latecomers may only be admitted to a performance during a suitable break, and in some cases, may be excluded. Please call the Creative Learning team on 02 9250 7770 to notify us if you are running late.
Your safety and security is paramount to us during your visit to the Opera House. Therefore, all items larger than the dimensions of a standard A4 piece of paper must be checked in to the cloakroom. As they have limited space, we ask that teachers and students do not bring large bags/backpacks to the performance. Some bag trolleys may be available for your school in the Western Foyers. Please ensure that any prohibited items are left at home (e.g. scissors).
Students are encouraged to bring their own lunch and snacks, however you’ll find food and drinks outlets on the lower level of the concourse.
Please note food and drink are permitted inside the foyers, but only bottled water in the venues.
We recommend that students take their meal breaks on the Monumental Steps/Forecourt or in the Botanic Gardens immediately adjacent the SOH precinct. In inclement weather, there is ample room to take breaks underneath the Monumental Steps. In situations of particularly poor weather, breaks can be had in the Western Foyer. We ask that you please limit this to an as needed basis to avoid foyer congestion for other members of the General Public. There are several food and beverage options on site, as well as food and beverage options close by in Circular Quay.
Getting here
We are a 15-minute walk from Circular Quay, the closest station for public transport via train, bus and ferry. To view timetable information and ensure your public transport needs can be met, please check the Transport NSW website.
Buses and coaches can’t park onsite at Sydney Opera House. Large buses must disembark passengers on Macquarie Street in the allocated drop off zone. Please contact City of Sydney to confirm bus and coach set down areas. We recommend allowing an additional 10 minutes for walking from Macquarie Street.
Frequently asked questions
Please ensure that your group arrives at the venue 30 minutes prior to the performance start time.
If you are late, we will seat you as soon as possible, but please be aware that some events have lock out periods where late comers cannot be admitted until a suitable break in the performance. Occasionally this is not until the interval, and in some instances late comers won’t be admitted at all.
Yes, use this information to prepare a risk assessment and risk management plan. Teachers undertaking a risk assessment and risk management plan should be aware that Sydney Opera House cannot complete the risk assessment for them.
Food and drink are permitted inside the foyers, but not in the venues.
Please contact our Creative Learning Ticketing Specialists on 02 9250 7770 as soon as possible to advise if your group can no longer attend.
The Opera House is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children that visit or engage with us. Read our Child Safety Policy.
The Opera House has also developed a Child-friendly Code of Conduct to engage with our youngest visitors.
Location and access
Centre for Creativity
The Centre for Creativity is located at the end of the Western Foyers, next to the Drama Theatre. Best accessed through the Western Foyers entry.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators).