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The base built before the roof

In 1959, Sydney began building an opera house before anyone knew how to build its roof. Research and a book its publisher labels a best seller ask why big projects run over, and whether planning first helps.

Major #26: Civil EngineeringThe story: Joseph Cahill and Jørn Utzon (1950s–1970s). The book: How Big Things Get Done by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner.

About 8 minutes

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In this lesson

  • A roof nobody could yet build
  • Concrete first, answers later
  • What the research says
  • The book: How Big Things Get Done
  • What the evidence says about the book
  • Where this comes from
  • Try it today
  • 4 questions to check yourself

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