Modern Sydney

$75 | 3 hours | small groups

Shifting focus from London to New York in the early 20th century, before turning her gaze lovingly towards Los Angeles in the mid-20th Century - so began Sydney’s love affair with horizontality and the freedoms afforded by the automobile.

Guided by the spirit of interwar modernity, ‘Modern Sydney’ follows a mazy path through the guts of Sydney from Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park to Circular Quay.

We will explore the urban and architectural ideals at the heart of modernism; ideas borrowed from the great Europe and North American cities in the early 20th Century, and discuss the mediating factors of distance, culture, technology, politics and environment as we search for the influence of modernity on contemporary Sydney.

Architecturally, modernism’s twin strands will be our guide. The decorative, user-friendly art deco style that concerned itself with the aesthetic or the idea of the machine - a design language you could apply to anything, be it a memorial, a garment, toaster, car or skyscraper. This strand was beautifully realised in Emil Sodersten’s QBE on Pitt Street.

We will also look at some wonderful examples of the work of more ‘serious’ modernists like Harry Seidler who were concerned not so much with the idea of the machine but with the machine itself.

Modern Sydney will finish with the flowering of of these ideas in seminal projects by Pritzker Architecture Prize laureates Renzo Piano and, of course, Jørn Utzon.

What Else?

If you have a Gift Card, click “Apply gift card” in the booking window.

Please arrive 10min prior to departure.

Tours depart rain or shine so dress for the weather! The weather is usually great, but a sun hut and sunscreen is always a good idea in Sydney.

CPD for Architects.

If you are an architect then participating in this tour can earn you Formal CPD points. At checkout, click ‘yes’ when prompted.

More information on CPD here.

Almost but not quite?

We can conduct this tour - or something similar - any day of the week as a private group tour for groups of any size. Email us at info@sydneyarchitecture.org.