ENGLISH ESSAY WRTTING ( ENGLISH 1 FNBE 0715)

What are the differences between the Lotus Temple in New Delhi and the

Opera House in Sydney?

Nurul Atiqah Binti Mohd Ghazali

0325630

Taylor’s University

English 1

FNBE July 2015

October 29, 2015

Nurul Atiqah Binti Mohd Ghazali 0325630

Prewritting

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN LOTUS TEMPLE AND SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE?

2. ARCHITECTURE DESIGN

3. MEANING AND PURPOSE

1. LOCATION

LOTUS IS LOCATED IN NEW DELHI, INDIA. IT IS NEAR KALKAJI TEMPLE, EAST OF NEHRU PALACE.

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE IS LOCATED IN AUSTRALIA. PLAZE RIGHT AT END OF BENNELONG POINT, JUXTAPOSED TO THE HARBOUR. FOCAL POINT OF SYDNEY HARBOUR

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE: JORN UTZON MODERN ARCHITECTURE, EXPRESIONIST OCT. 20, 1973 WHITE ROOF SHELL,

LOTUS: PLACE OF WORSHIP ALL ABOUT PEACE SYMBOL TO HINDUISM, BUDDHISM, JAINISM AND ISLAM.

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE: PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE.

LOTUS: FARIBORZ SAHBA EXPRESSIONIST NOV. 13 1986 LOTUS FLOWER, 27 PETALS, 40 METER HAS 9 DOORS, 9 POOLS OF WATER, WITH 26 ACRES OF GARDEN


Have you ever seen two unique buildings that look very identical to

each other? Have you heard of the Lotus Temple and the Sydney Opera

House? The Lotus Temple, also known as the Baha’i Temple, in New Delhi,

looks very similar to the Opera House in Sydney, Australia. The Lotus Temple

opened on November 13, 1986 and was designed by a Persian architect

named Fariborz Sahba (“Lotus Temple: Symbol, n.d.). Sydney Opera House

was created by a Danish architect name Jorn Utzon on October 20, 1973.

Both of these unique buildings may look identical but they have their own

differences. The differences between the Lotus Temple and the Sydney

Opera House are the location, the architectural design and the meaning and

purpose of the structure.

Firstly, the two buildings are located in different country and different

settings. The Lotus Temple is located near Kalkaji Temple, east of Nehru

Place in New Delhi, India (“Delhi Tourism”, n.d.). It is located in the heart of

New Delhi city, a busy and noisy city. Having the temple there allows people

to there and experience some peace. Moreover, the Opera House is located

in Sydney, Australia. It is located at the right end of Bennelong Point within a

beautiful harbor setting, Sydney Harbor (Wells, 2013). The architect, Jorn

Utzon, studies photographs and site plan to understand the sites surroundings

and relationship with the harbor. It was his intention to create a structure that

would relate as closely to the harbor such as sails and yachts.

Secondly, the architectural design between the Lotus Temple and

Sydney Opera House are different with materials, shape, texture and form.

Fariborz Sahba inspiration was the lotus flower, which derived him to create

the temple. It is one of the buildings that are inspired by bio mimicry (Rizor,


2011). The temple is divided into 9-sided circular structures, which then

branches out into 27 petals (Rizor, 2011). These blooming petals stand tall at

40 meter tall (Lotus Temple: Symbol, n.d). These leaves are categorized into

3 categories: entrance leaves, outer leaves, and inner leaves. Also, the first

two groups of leaves curve inward, while the third layer curve outwards to

cover the nine entrances (Baha’i Association, 2003). Moreover, the temple is

made up of mostly concrete and pure white marble blocks (“Delhi Tourism”,

n.d). It has 26 acres of green garden and nine pools of crystal clear water.

Comparing with the Sydney Opera House, Jorn Utzon was more inspired with

modern architecture. (Wells, 2013). He designed the structure with a leaf form

pattern with ceramic roof tiles. He used “nature” colors on the exterior. His

idea for materials was concrete, ceramic and granite and contrast that with

the white roof shells (Wells, 2013). The concrete platform is made up of red

granite, which is also use as a pavement for the waterfront surrounding the

building (Wells 2013). Plus, there are also glass walls facing the harbor,

providing a stunning view of Sydney Harbor.

Finally, the each of the buildings have their own meaning and purpose

to why it was build. The Lotus Temple is a place of worship. It symbolizes

peace and prosperity. That is why the temple symbolizes Hinduism,

Buddhism, Jainism and Islam (“Delhi Tourism”, .n.d). The temple is open to

everyone who wants to find inner peace and break the “shackles of

trepidation” (“Lotus Temple: Symbol”, n.d). Any races and religions are

allowed to visit and pray or meditate. However, the Sydney Opera House’s

function is different than the Lotus Temple. It is the busiest performing arts

center in the world that consists of theaters and halls for musicals, opera,


dance and ballet (Wells, 2013). There are about 3000 events each year. Ever

since it opened, it has attracted many artists from around the world and host

many performances there (Wells, 2013). The Opera House is an artistic

monument and a famous icon for the country.

In conclusion, the Lotus Temple in New Delhi and the Opera House in

Sydney is different from each other due to its location, architectural design

and meaning and purpose. These two unique buildings are only similar with

its idea of the shape but if you take a closer look at it, you will see the

differences. It’s like the saying “don’t judge the book by its covers”. We can’t

just simply judge that these two buildings are identical or whether one building

copy another, when in reality they are actually not. We have to study and

understand about each structure first and then we decide whether they have

anything similar.


References

Baha’I Association. (2003). The Lotus of Bahapur. Retrieved from

http://bahai.uga.edu/india.html

Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation. (n.d). Baha’i Temple.

Reterieved from

http://www.delhitourism.gov.in/delhitourism/tourist_place/bahai_temple.

jsp

Rizor, John. (2011). AD Classics: Lotus Temple/ Fariborz Sahba. Retrieved

from http://www.archdaily.com/158522/ad-classics-lotus-temple-

fariborz-sahba

Unknown. (n.d.) Lotus Temple: Symbol of Peace and Prosperity. Retrieved

from http://www.delhicapital.com/monuments-in-delhi/lotus-temple.html

Wells, Kathryn. (2013). Sydney Opera House. Retrieved from

http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/sydney-

opera-house

Education

ENGLISH ESSAY WRTTING ( ENGLISH 1 FNBE 0715)