After resigned from the Sydney Opera, In 1972, Danish architect Jørn Utzon, decided to settle on the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain, and to build a house for himself, his wife, Lis, and their son Kim on a low cliff near Porto Petro in the southernmost part of island.
“Can Lis,” named after Utzon’s wife, Lis is one of the most important houses of the 20th century, situated on the steep cliff facing the sea, the house’s narrow plot between the road and the sea, and previous studies in 1:1 of the site potential, Can Lis was planned as an organic, unified whole erecting four separate buildings, each with its own function: bedroom buildings, a living room building, and a kitchen and dining room building, facing a partly covered patio with views towards the sea. Based on these ideas and with the help of the local building contractor Jaime Vidal, the house's final design emerged from the rocks.
Main characteristic of Can Lis lies in its reinterpretation of traditional Majorcan building methods and the use of local building materials, as marés sandstone on its outer walls and columns, santanyi sandstone on its floors, interior walls and kitchen worktops, and madera norte, a majorcan pine, for all the woodwork.
Can Lis was restored and transformed into a contemporary artist’s refuge between October 2011 and February 2012 by the Utzon Foundation and architect Lise Juel, who had previously collaborated with Jørn Utzon on the Utzon center building in Aalborg, Denmark. ‘With the same grid of marés stone and the spatial narrative as a compass, a process of the constant challenge and excavation of ideas and technical solutions took place during the restoration,’ says Juel. ‘We where determined to make minimal physical interventions, with great spatial impact.’
Kim Utzon on the renovation of Can Lis, April 2012:
“Can Lis,” named after Utzon’s wife, Lis is one of the most important houses of the 20th century, situated on the steep cliff facing the sea, the house’s narrow plot between the road and the sea, and previous studies in 1:1 of the site potential, Can Lis was planned as an organic, unified whole erecting four separate buildings, each with its own function: bedroom buildings, a living room building, and a kitchen and dining room building, facing a partly covered patio with views towards the sea. Based on these ideas and with the help of the local building contractor Jaime Vidal, the house's final design emerged from the rocks.
Main characteristic of Can Lis lies in its reinterpretation of traditional Majorcan building methods and the use of local building materials, as marés sandstone on its outer walls and columns, santanyi sandstone on its floors, interior walls and kitchen worktops, and madera norte, a majorcan pine, for all the woodwork.
Can Lis was restored and transformed into a contemporary artist’s refuge between October 2011 and February 2012 by the Utzon Foundation and architect Lise Juel, who had previously collaborated with Jørn Utzon on the Utzon center building in Aalborg, Denmark. ‘With the same grid of marés stone and the spatial narrative as a compass, a process of the constant challenge and excavation of ideas and technical solutions took place during the restoration,’ says Juel. ‘We where determined to make minimal physical interventions, with great spatial impact.’
Kim Utzon on the renovation of Can Lis, April 2012:
"For the record I would just like to say how pleased I am with the results of the renovation by the Utzon Foundation."
The house is now open to the public, and thanks to the restoration, it can be habitable throughout the entire year.
NOTE.-
I. Wikipedia reference about Jørn Utzon
Askin had been a 'vocal critic of the project prior to gaining office.'[1] His new Minister for Public Works, Davis Hughes, was even less sympathetic. Elizabeth Farrelly, Australian architecture critic has written that at an election night dinner party in Mosman, Hughes's daughter Sue Burgoyne boasted that her father would soon sack Utzon. Hughes had no interest in art, architecture or aesthetics. A fraud, as well as a philistine, he had been exposed before Parliament and dumped as Country Party leader for 19 years of falsely claiming a university degree. The Opera House gave Hughes a second chance. For him, as for Utzon, it was all about control; about the triumph of homegrown mediocrity over foreign genius.[1]
Utzon soon found himself in conflict with the new Minister. Attempting to rein in the escalating cost of the project, Hughes began questioning Utzon's capability, his designs, schedules and cost estimates, refusing to pay running costs. In 1966, after a final request from Utzon that plywood manufacturer Ralph Symonds should be one of the suppliers for the roof structure was refused, he resigned from the job, closed his Sydney office and vowed never to return to Australia.[2] When Utzon left, the shells were almost complete, and costs amounted to only $22.9 million. Following major changes to the original plans for the interiors, costs finally rose to $103 million.[3]
The Opera House was finally completed, and opened in 1973 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The architect was not invited to the ceremony, nor was his name even mentioned during any of the speeches.[4] He was, however, to be recognised later when he was asked to design updates to the interior of the opera house. The Utzon Room, overlooking Sydney Harbour, was officially dedicated in October 2004. In a statement at the time Utzon wrote: "The fact that I'm mentioned in such a marvellous way, it gives me the greatest pleasure and satisfaction. I don't think you can give me more joy as the architect. It supersedes any medal of any kind that I could get and have got." Furthermore, Frank Gehry, one of the Pritzker Prize judges, commented: "Utzon made a building well ahead of its time, far ahead of available technology, and he persevered through extraordinarily malicious publicity and negative criticism to build a building that changed the image of an entire country."[5]
Askin had been a 'vocal critic of the project prior to gaining office.'[1] His new Minister for Public Works, Davis Hughes, was even less sympathetic. Elizabeth Farrelly, Australian architecture critic has written that at an election night dinner party in Mosman, Hughes's daughter Sue Burgoyne boasted that her father would soon sack Utzon. Hughes had no interest in art, architecture or aesthetics. A fraud, as well as a philistine, he had been exposed before Parliament and dumped as Country Party leader for 19 years of falsely claiming a university degree. The Opera House gave Hughes a second chance. For him, as for Utzon, it was all about control; about the triumph of homegrown mediocrity over foreign genius.[1]
Utzon soon found himself in conflict with the new Minister. Attempting to rein in the escalating cost of the project, Hughes began questioning Utzon's capability, his designs, schedules and cost estimates, refusing to pay running costs. In 1966, after a final request from Utzon that plywood manufacturer Ralph Symonds should be one of the suppliers for the roof structure was refused, he resigned from the job, closed his Sydney office and vowed never to return to Australia.[2] When Utzon left, the shells were almost complete, and costs amounted to only $22.9 million. Following major changes to the original plans for the interiors, costs finally rose to $103 million.[3]
The Opera House was finally completed, and opened in 1973 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The architect was not invited to the ceremony, nor was his name even mentioned during any of the speeches.[4] He was, however, to be recognised later when he was asked to design updates to the interior of the opera house. The Utzon Room, overlooking Sydney Harbour, was officially dedicated in October 2004. In a statement at the time Utzon wrote: "The fact that I'm mentioned in such a marvellous way, it gives me the greatest pleasure and satisfaction. I don't think you can give me more joy as the architect. It supersedes any medal of any kind that I could get and have got." Furthermore, Frank Gehry, one of the Pritzker Prize judges, commented: "Utzon made a building well ahead of its time, far ahead of available technology, and he persevered through extraordinarily malicious publicity and negative criticism to build a building that changed the image of an entire country."[5]
1) Farrelly, Elizabeth, "High noon at Bennelong Point" Archived 3 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Canberra Times. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
2) "Jørn Utzon: Danish architect who designed the Sydney Opera House", The Times, 1 December 2008.
3) "Jørn Utzon (1918–2008)", Danishnet.com. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
4) The Age: Obituary, December 2, 2008.
5) Christopher Hawthorne, "Jorn Utzon dies at 90; Danish architect of Sydney Opera House", Los Angeles Times, 30 November 2008. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
2) "Jørn Utzon: Danish architect who designed the Sydney Opera House", The Times, 1 December 2008.
3) "Jørn Utzon (1918–2008)", Danishnet.com. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
4) The Age: Obituary, December 2, 2008.
5) Christopher Hawthorne, "Jorn Utzon dies at 90; Danish architect of Sydney Opera House", Los Angeles Times, 30 November 2008. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
