Set to open in late 2026, Powerhouse Parramatta is a major new museum and cultural precinct being built on the banks of the Parramatta River. It will eventually include a new centre of arts, culture, and innovation including the new Powerhouse Museum and a redeveloped Riverside Theatres.
Construction on the the brand-new branch of the Powerhouse Museum began over four years ago, with the main building is now complete.
Newly released drone images reveal the striking facade of the building, now becoming a recognisable icon on the Western Sydney landscape.
Designed by Franco-Japanese architects Moreau Kusunoki and Australian architecture firm Genton, the space will offer a stunning home for new exhibitions from Powerhouse’s collection of more than half a million objects.
The largest gallery will be one of the largest column-free exhibition spaces in Australia, with an 18-metre height and spanning more than 2000 square metres. It is set to open with Task Eternal, an immersive exhibition the delves into humanity’s enduring quest to defy gravity, take flight and journey into space.
Powerhouse Chief Executive Lisa Havilah said her team would now begin installing five major international exhibitions ahead of the opening.
“Powerhouse Parramatta is a new generation museum, conceived to redefine the role of cultural institutions in contemporary life,” she said in a statement, explaining the aim is to bring together industry and community and present collections, histories, and ideas in new ways.
“It will be a museum embedded with innate flexibility, with the ability to continuously evolve, changing with the world to ensure that it remains relevant and impactful for generations to come.”
Beyond the display spaces, the museum will also contain 30 residential studios, bringing together scientists, researchers and artists from Australia, for collaboration on research and programs.
A 200-seat kitchen will provide even more learning opportunities around the science and technology of food, as well as connect the public with the culture and histories of chefs and producers.
The building will also boast a rooftop terrace with expansive views, holding a garden growing Indigenous plant species, an observatory with telescopes beneath a retractable roof, a greenhouse and the ING Pavilion, which will host talks, workshops and public programs.
