The Powerhouse’s main public square looking back from Good’s Line and planted with native species
The concept designed by Australian team Architectus, Durbach Block Jaggers Architects, Tyrrell Studio, Youssofzay + Hart, Akira Isogawa, Yerrabingin, Finding Infinity and Arup has won the Powerhouse Ultimo Renewal design competition.
The design contains expanded museum exhibition spaces, including international museum standard galleries for immersive exhibitions and learning programs. A new urban space connecting the museum to The Goods Line will create a major new public square for Sydney, increasing open public space that will support outdoor programs. The Harris Street frontage will be revitalised with creative studios that will support education and industry programs and will create new opportunities to access the museum’s library and archive.
“The winning scheme is underpinned by a compelling and coherent vision for the renewal of the Powerhouse Ultimo site and the broader precinct,”
“The design approach centres on making subtle moves appropriate to the site – at times via gentle intervention and repair, at others through ambitious moves that enable the site to be ‘unlocked’ to provide a distinctive and highly functional museum experience.”
Wendy Lewin, Jury Chair
A significant investment in the development of a creative industries precinct will deliver subsidised studios and workspaces at Ultimo for creative industries, delivering a thriving, active precinct that is an active contributor to the growing night-time economy.
More than 5,000 regional and remote students from across NSW will further their design and fashion education through immersive experiences at The Academy, which will provide residential accommodation within the museum precinct.
An interior courtyard of the new Powerhouse Museum.
The Powerhouse Ultimo renewal is part of the NSW Government’s investment in cultural infrastructure, reinforcing Sydney’s reputation as a global cultural destination.