How to build Sydney Opera House in Minecraft

Jørn Utzon’s masterpiece on Bennelong Point: two side-by-side halls roofed with nested, pointed shell vaults tiled in glossy white and matte cream chevrons, plus the little restaurant shells, all standing on a massive pink granite podium with the monumental steps. Bronze-tinted glass fills every shell mouth and glows warmly at Night. The harbour wraps round the point, a green-and-gold ferry waits in the harbour, and the Harbour Bridge arch rises in the background.

Open the interactive 3D plan above to build it one layer at a time: every layer has a numbered top-down plan, a block list and full-screen step-by-step instructions you can tick off as you go. You can also download it for Litematica, WorldEdit or Minecraft Bedrock, or view it in your room in AR.

Materials list

BlockAmountStacks
White Terracotta5,61787 stacks + 49
Water4,41068 stacks + 58
White Concrete2,77843 stacks + 26
Light Gray Concrete1,94830 stacks + 28
Orange Stained Glass95614 stacks + 60
Pink Terracotta65810 stacks + 18
Smooth Sandstone65610 stacks + 16
Gray Concrete6119 stacks + 35
Iron Bars4356 stacks + 51
Glowstone3445 stacks + 24
Smooth Stone3425 stacks + 22
Brown Terracotta2954 stacks + 39
Oak Leaves2283 stacks + 36
Brown Stained Glass2163 stacks + 24
Green Concrete1322 stacks + 4
Red Wool1101 stack + 46
Yellow Terracotta46
Lantern29
Spruce Planks28
End Rod24
Oak Log16
Polished Blackstone12
Glass8

Building tips

  1. Build the podium and the steps first: they set the floor every shell stands on.
  2. Each shell is a pointed arch that grows taller and wider towards its open mouth. Build one layer at a time and copy the outline from the layer grid; the shell is only one block thick.
  3. The chevron pattern is three white concrete to one white terracotta, offset by one block on each layer, so the cream stripes run diagonally down from the ridge.
  4. Fill each mouth with orange stained glass and put glowstone and lanterns just inside. At Night the shells glow like lanterns over the water.
  5. Build the tallest shell of each hall first, then lean the smaller ones against it so their mouths nest one in front of another.
  6. Keep the water one block deep around the point. You only need the surface for the harbour look.

Step-by-step: all 37 layers

  1. Layer 1 Water ×4410, Light Gray Concrete ×1948, Smooth Stone ×342, White Terracotta ×41, Pink Terracotta ×6
  2. Layer 2 White Terracotta ×540, Iron Bars ×205, Pink Terracotta ×84, Smooth Sandstone ×71, Green Concrete ×55, Oak Log ×4, Polished Blackstone ×4
  3. Layer 3 White Terracotta ×464, Smooth Sandstone ×71, Pink Terracotta ×62, Green Concrete ×55, Brown Terracotta ×51, Lantern ×10, Oak Log ×4, Polished Blackstone ×4
  4. Layer 4 White Terracotta ×419, Oak Leaves ×87, Smooth Sandstone ×69, Pink Terracotta ×60, Orange Stained Glass ×34, Yellow Terracotta ×27, Brown Terracotta ×17, Oak Log ×4, Polished Blackstone ×4, Lantern ×2
  5. Layer 5 White Terracotta ×627, Oak Leaves ×88, Pink Terracotta ×87, Smooth Sandstone ×71, Yellow Terracotta ×19, Glass ×8, Lantern ×4, Oak Log ×4
  6. Layer 6 White Terracotta ×311, Smooth Sandstone ×71, Pink Terracotta ×44, Oak Leaves ×27, White Concrete ×24, Green Concrete ×21, Brown Stained Glass ×14, Glowstone ×9, Brown Terracotta ×3
  7. Layer 7 White Terracotta ×2651, Pink Terracotta ×315, Smooth Sandstone ×71, Oak Leaves ×26, White Concrete ×23, Orange Stained Glass ×14, Gray Concrete ×4, Brown Terracotta ×3, Glowstone ×2
  8. Layer 8 White Concrete ×164, Red Wool ×110, Orange Stained Glass ×100, Glowstone ×58, End Rod ×24, Smooth Sandstone ×24, White Terracotta ×22, Brown Terracotta ×14, Spruce Planks ×14, Gray Concrete ×4, Green Concrete ×1
  9. Layer 9 White Concrete ×158, Orange Stained Glass ×94, White Terracotta ×26, Smooth Sandstone ×24, Glowstone ×21, Brown Terracotta ×16, Spruce Planks ×14, Gray Concrete ×8
  10. Layer 10 White Concrete ×162, Orange Stained Glass ×80, Smooth Sandstone ×24, White Terracotta ×24, Glowstone ×19, Brown Terracotta ×14, Gray Concrete ×8
  11. Layer 11 Gray Concrete ×411, White Concrete ×158, Brown Stained Glass ×78, White Terracotta ×32, Glowstone ×18, Smooth Sandstone ×16, Brown Terracotta ×13
  12. Layer 12 White Concrete ×159, Orange Stained Glass ×76, White Terracotta ×34, Iron Bars ×24, Smooth Sandstone ×24, Glowstone ×18, Brown Terracotta ×15, Lantern ×9, Gray Concrete ×4
  13. Layer 13 White Concrete ×159, Orange Stained Glass ×70, White Terracotta ×28, Smooth Sandstone ×24, Glowstone ×20, Iron Bars ×18, Brown Terracotta ×11, Gray Concrete ×8
  14. Layer 14 White Concrete ×155, Orange Stained Glass ×70, White Terracotta ×31, Smooth Sandstone ×24, Iron Bars ×20, Glowstone ×18, Brown Terracotta ×13, Gray Concrete ×12
  15. Layer 15 White Concrete ×147, Orange Stained Glass ×68, White Terracotta ×30, Smooth Sandstone ×24, Iron Bars ×20, Glowstone ×18, Brown Terracotta ×14, Gray Concrete ×8
  16. Layer 16 White Concrete ×148, Brown Stained Glass ×64, White Terracotta ×31, Smooth Sandstone ×24, Iron Bars ×16, Glowstone ×15, Brown Terracotta ×12, Gray Concrete ×12, Lantern ×4
  17. Layer 17 White Concrete ×144, Orange Stained Glass ×56, Smooth Sandstone ×24, White Terracotta ×24, Iron Bars ×18, Glowstone ×14, Brown Terracotta ×11, Gray Concrete ×8
  18. Layer 18 White Concrete ×134, Orange Stained Glass ×52, White Terracotta ×32, Gray Concrete ×16, Glowstone ×14, Iron Bars ×14, Brown Terracotta ×11
  19. Layer 19 White Concrete ×141, Orange Stained Glass ×50, White Terracotta ×19, Iron Bars ×16, Glowstone ×15, Gray Concrete ×12, Brown Terracotta ×9
  20. Layer 20 White Concrete ×119, Orange Stained Glass ×42, White Terracotta ×27, Gray Concrete ×20, Iron Bars ×14, Glowstone ×12, Brown Terracotta ×8
  21. Layer 21 White Concrete ×107, Brown Stained Glass ×38, White Terracotta ×28, Gray Concrete ×22, Glowstone ×12, Iron Bars ×12, Brown Terracotta ×8
  22. Layer 22 White Concrete ×101, Orange Stained Glass ×32, White Terracotta ×24, Iron Bars ×16, Glowstone ×10, Brown Terracotta ×8, Gray Concrete ×4
  23. Layer 23 White Concrete ×87, Orange Stained Glass ×24, White Terracotta ×20, Iron Bars ×14, Glowstone ×9, Brown Terracotta ×8, Gray Concrete ×8
  24. Layer 24 White Concrete ×78, Orange Stained Glass ×22, White Terracotta ×19, Iron Bars ×12, Glowstone ×8, Brown Terracotta ×7, Gray Concrete ×4
  25. Layer 25 White Concrete ×63, Orange Stained Glass ×20, White Terracotta ×18, Iron Bars ×10, Gray Concrete ×8, Glowstone ×7, Brown Terracotta ×5
  26. Layer 26 White Concrete ×64, Brown Stained Glass ×16, Gray Concrete ×12, White Terracotta ×12, Iron Bars ×6, Brown Terracotta ×5, Glowstone ×5
  27. Layer 27 White Concrete ×53, Gray Concrete ×18, Orange Stained Glass ×14, White Terracotta ×13, Glowstone ×5, Brown Terracotta ×4
  28. Layer 28 White Concrete ×44, White Terracotta ×14, Orange Stained Glass ×12, Glowstone ×4, Brown Terracotta ×2
  29. Layer 29 White Concrete ×44, Orange Stained Glass ×10, White Terracotta ×8, Glowstone ×4, Brown Terracotta ×2
  30. Layer 30 White Concrete ×29, White Terracotta ×11, Orange Stained Glass ×8, Glowstone ×3, Brown Terracotta ×2
  31. Layer 31 White Concrete ×31, White Terracotta ×7, Brown Stained Glass ×6, Brown Terracotta ×2, Glowstone ×2
  32. Layer 32 White Concrete ×25, White Terracotta ×8, Orange Stained Glass ×4, Brown Terracotta ×2, Glowstone ×2
  33. Layer 33 White Concrete ×19, White Terracotta ×9, Brown Terracotta ×2, Orange Stained Glass ×2, Glowstone ×1
  34. Layer 34 White Concrete ×16, White Terracotta ×5, Orange Stained Glass ×2, Brown Terracotta ×1, Glowstone ×1
  35. Layer 35 White Concrete ×9, White Terracotta ×5, Brown Terracotta ×1
  36. Layer 36 White Concrete ×9, White Terracotta ×2, Brown Terracotta ×1
  37. Layer 37 White Concrete ×4, White Terracotta ×1

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