Powerhouse Parramatta: Sydney's largest museum to open in 2025
Sydney is set to open its largest museum, Powerhouse Parramatta, in 2025. Designed by French-Japanese firm Moreau Kusunoki (winners of the 2015 Guggenheim Helsinki competition), the 18,000-square-meter institution will feature exhibition and public spaces, expecting two million annual visitors. The museum is located on the Parramatta River, on the ancestral land of the Burramattagal and Darug peoples. Architects Nicolas Moreau and Hiroko Kusunoki emphasized the concept of 'in-between' (Ma in Japanese), freeing part of the site to reconnect Parramatta's urban fabric with the river. The building's geometry is based on a 'stacking process' and a structural exoskeleton lattice developed with engineer Jun Sato, aiming for lightness and transparency. Sustainable strategies include material research and structural lightness to minimize carbon impact. CEO Lisa Havilah described Powerhouse Parramatta as a transformative cultural district connecting arts, applied sciences, industry, and education, with a generational impact on Sydney communities.
Key facts
- Powerhouse Parramatta will be the largest museum in New South Wales, Australia.
- The museum spans over 18,000 square meters of exhibition and public spaces.
- Two million visitors are expected annually.
- The museum is designed by Moreau Kusunoki, a French-Japanese architecture firm.
- Moreau Kusunoki won the 2015 Guggenheim Helsinki competition (later canceled).
- The museum is located on the Parramatta River, on ancestral land of the Burramattagal and Darug peoples.
- The design concept is based on 'Ma' (in-between) and a structural lattice developed with engineer Jun Sato.
- Powerhouse Parramatta is set to open in 2025.
- Lisa Havilah is the Chief Executive of Powerhouse Sydney.
- The museum will present a dynamic program across arts and applied sciences.
Entities
Artists
- Nicolas Moreau
- Hiroko Kusunoki
- Jun Sato
- Lisa Havilah
- Jørn Utzon
Institutions
- Powerhouse Parramatta
- Powerhouse Sydney
- Moreau Kusunoki
- Guggenheim Helsinki
- Moreau Kusunoki Architectes
- Genton
- Sydney Opera House
- Art Gallery of New South Wales
- SANAA
- Powerhouse
Locations
- Sydney
- Australia
- Parramatta
- Parramatta River
- New South Wales