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Wondering where we’re up to with Sydney's mega museum project? We’ve got updates. After wrapping up construction back in May, Powerhouse Parramatta has reached two new major milestones – with the first Australian designers shaping the landmark building's interiors and public spaces revealed, and the very first objects officially installed.
When it opens later this year (exact date still TBC) on the banks of the Parramatta River, Powerhouse Parramatta is looking set to be so much more than your average museum. Designed by acclaimed Franco-Japanese architects Moreau Kusunoki alongside Australian firm Genton, it's the largest cultural infrastructure project built in Australia since the Sydney Opera House – and Western Sydney's first state cultural institution. With just a few months left before it opens to the public, we're starting to get a much clearer picture of what visitors can expect.
More than 50 leading Australian designers, artists and makers have been commissioned to create everything from furniture and exhibition spaces to retail, landscaping and hospitality experiences throughout the museum. From what we know so far, it’s set to be a pretty unprecedented showcase of local design talent, with acclaimed Aussie designers including YSG Studio, Adam Goodrum, George Livissianis, Fiona Lynch, Tom Fereday, Dowel Jones and Design By Them all contributing to the project.
One of the most exciting reveals (in our opinion) is the museum's new restaurant, designed by George Livissianis – the creative behind some of Sydney's most beautiful dining rooms – Redfern’s Olympus being a case in point. Overlooking the Parramatta River, the space is expected to feature a warm palette of aluminium, leather and cork, with custom furniture by leading industrial designer Adam Goodrum.
The museum's rooftop is also shaping up to be a destination in its own right. Plans include a productive garden planted with Indigenous species, an observatory complete with telescopes, a greenhouse, spaces for talks and workshops, plus a custom-built fire cooking area crafted by master blacksmith Matt Mewburn (the man behind Eveleigh Works). Meanwhile, Melbourne designer Fiona Lynch is behind the interiors for the museum's overnight accommodation, where up to 10,000 high school students from regional NSW and Western Sydney will stay each year as part of the museum’s educational programs.
On the exhibition front, we can confirm that the first exhibition object has officially been installed inside the building: a replica of the historic Qantas Avro 504K, the airline's very first aircraft. Suspended in the towering ceiling, the plane will headline Task Eternal – the museum's opening exhibition exploring humanity's enduring fascination with flight, aerospace, engineering and innovation. The exhibition will feature more than 750 objects, including historic aircraft, aviation artefacts and newly commissioned works, and launches alongside a new ten-year partnership between Powerhouse and Qantas.
Beyond the aircraft itself, the collaboration will see more than 6,000 items from the Qantas Heritage Collection conserved and digitised by Powerhouse, while the museum's riverside public space will include a new Qantas Terrace overlooking the Parramatta River.
By opening day, visitors will be able to explore more than 1,600 collection objects, alongside hundreds of loans from museums and collectors around the world.
With construction entering its final stretch, Powerhouse Parramatta is officially coming to life. You can learn more and keep tabs over here.
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