A former French spy, who has been hailed for its ingenious engineering of the Sydney Opera house, is dead. He was 97 years old.
the Frenchman by the name of Joe Bertony was one of the original engineers that helped to build the Danish architect Jørn Utzon’s iconic building in the australian city of Sydney.
crown Prince Frederik and crown princess Mary at the stairs at the famous opera house. Photo: Thomas Wilmann
Bertony håndskrev 30,000 different equations to identify the construction of a bow that could wear the recognizable white, glimmering sail in the construction of the building.
– Bertony was a remarkable man who will be remembered as the inventor of the bow to construction of the Opera house in Sydney, says opera house ceo, Louise Herron, in a statement.
Triathlon for women at the sydney Opera house in 2000. Photo: Jens Dresling
In spite of udregningernes complexity, they were completely and utterly flawless.
His calculations were reviewed by the only computer in Australia, which at the time had enough capacity to implement the type of calculations. There was not found a single mistake, says Louise Herron.
– Bertony was a genius. Without him was the spectacular sail may never become a reality, says the director.
Bertony died at his home in Sydney on Sunday, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
He was born on the French mediterranean island of Corsica.
Bertony joined the French navy, where he studied maritime engineering. According to Helen Pitt, who has written a book about the Opera house, was he here recruited to be a spy.
He was captured by the germans twice during world War ii and sent to concentration camps. He did, however, manage to escape both times.
He has received the Krigskorset of the French government.
the Opera house in Sydney was opened in 1973.
It was designed by Danish Jørn Utzon and is, according to the news agency AFP Australia’s most popular tourist destination.