The contemporary museum in Sydney, Powerhouse Ultimo, announced the winning architectural design to revamp its past galleries and bring innovative exhibitions and educational spaces. From more than 100 registrations across Australia, the selected proposal was designed by Australian team Architectus, Durbach Block Jaggers Architects, Tyrrell Studio, Youssofzay + Hart, Akira Isogawa, Yerrabingin, Finding Infinity, and Arup. The winning team will deliver a world-class visionary museum that will support the creative industries in Australia and reinforce Sydney's reputation as a global cultural destination.
The renewal will reinvigorate one of Australia's most revered museums to offer experiences under international museum standards and expanded spaces to provide new levels of access to the Powerhouse collection. A new urban area connecting the museum to The Goods Line will create a significant new public square for Sydney, increasing open public space supporting outdoor programs. The Harris Street frontage will be revitalized with creative studios supporting education and industry programs and creating new opportunities to access the museum's library and archive.
“The new building casts a reimagined lens on the heritage fabrics and cityscapes from multiple levels of this escarpment – from uses, circulation, terraces and gardens. Respectful and immediate, the reimagined building lives alongside the Powerhouse core, a powerful embodiment of both geography and backdrop,” – Camilla Block, Design Director
Inspired by the memory of the local sandstone escarpment and based on the aboriginal Country Centred Design concept, the proposal is, in essence, an acknowledgment of the site's heritage. The scheme follows the design methodology of Indigenous peoples in Australia, which inherently includes the relationships between the various elements of Country, community, non-humans, and people to understand the connections and kinships between all that share space.
The Powerhouse Ultimo design competition is part of the New South Wales Government's record investment in cultural infrastructure, reinforcing Sydney's reputation as a global and cultural destination. As such, Sydney Opera was also under renovation and reopened in September 2022. In parallel, Snøhetta+Hassell were selected by competition to redesign Harbourside in Darling Harbour, Sydney. Expected to kick off in 2023, the 13500 square meters of public spaces will extend along the over 240 meters of water frontage within Sydney's iconic Darling Harbor area.
