Powerhouse Parramatta, Sydney, New South Wales

Powerhouse Parramatta building photos, west Sydney museum building, NSW modern architecture images

Powerhouse Parramatta in Sydney

1 May 2026

Design: Moreau Kusunoki and Genton

Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Photos: Courtesy of Powerhouse Studio

Powerhouse Parramatta, Sydney, Australia

Powerhouse, Australia’s largest museum group, is undertaking one of the world’s most significant museum projects, the development of the new Powerhouse Parramatta, opening late 2026 on a landmark site in Western Sydney.

Powerhouse Parramatta is the biggest cultural infrastructure project in Australia since the Sydney Opera House. At 30,000 sqm it has been designed by Franco-Japanese architects Moreau Kusunoki (Lead Designer) and Australian architects Genton (Local Architect).

Located in the rapidly developing City of Parramatta in Western Sydney on Dharug land, the transformational project is the first state cultural institution to be built within one of Australia’s fastest growing and most diverse regions. Construction began over four years ago and the main building by delivery partner Lendlease is now complete, with interior exhibition fit outs underway across the site and final works continuing on the public domain.

Powerhouse Parramatta will deliver dynamic international exhibitions alongside an innovative learning and community programme, pioneering a new museum model that aims to redefine contemporary museum practice and culture. The building will feature seven large-scale exhibition spaces alongside learning and digital studios, a cinema, a modern theatre space for up to 600 people, an extensive rooftop garden, a restaurant and cafe. Thirty residential studios will be integrated into the museum programme, bringing together scientists, researchers and artists to collaborate with Powerhouse and its communities.

The Lang Walker Family Academy will offer expansive STEM learning programmes, delivered onsite at Powerhouse Parramatta in state-of-the-art education spaces, as well as accommodation for 60 students and teachers, setting a new benchmark for innovative learning experiences for students and driving change for young people by providing access to world-class science, technology and cultural learning experiences.

New thinking about the culture and production of food will be showcased through the Vitocco Family Kitchen, a 200-seat space which will bring together chefs and producers across Australia and around the world featuring a large-scale demonstration kitchen.

A green landscaped public domain between the museum and the river will be open 24 hours a day, connecting the community with industry and learning and supporting festival events and programmes for audiences of up to 10,000.

Opening with net-zero emissions from day one of operation, the museum is the first public building in Australia and the first project in Western Sydney to be assessed as a 6 Star Designed project under the Green Building Council of Australia’s new Green Star Buildings assessment tool. It will embed sustainability across its design, operations, and programming – from water harvesting and renewable energy, zero-waste exhibition practices to a productive landscape and Caring for Country principles developed in collaboration with the First Nations communities of Sydney.

Powerhouse is the largest museum group in Australia with four locations across Sydney. With its origins in the Museum of Applied Arts and Science founded in 1879, it sits at the intersection of art, design, science, and technology. Custodian to over half a million objects of national and international signficance, it is considered one of the finest and most diverse collections in Australia. Powerhouse Parramatta forms part of a $1.4 billion AUD infrastructure renewal programme, which includes the renewal of the iconic Powerhouse in Ultimo, expanded research and public facilities at Powerhouse Castle Hill, and the ongoing heritage restoration of Sydney Observatory.

Powerhouse Chief Executive Lisa Havilah said, ‘Powerhouse Parramatta is a new generation museum, conceived to redefine the role of cultural institutions in contemporary life. Through its infrastructure and programmes, Powerhouse will create a dynamic ecology that will bring together industry and community, 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.’

Powerhouse Parramatta is proudly funded by the NSW Government and is being realised through the generosity, support and collaboration of foundations, agencies, businesses and individuals for the benefit of its communities.

Architecture: Moreau Kusunoki – https://moreaukusunoki.com/ and Genton – https://www.genton.com.au/

Photography: Courtesy of Powerhouse Studio

Powerhouse Parramatta, Sydney, New South Wales images / information received 010526

Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

8 November 2024
Powerhouse Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences
Design: Lahznimmo Architects

photo © Rory Gardiner