Moreau Kusunoki and Genton new Powerhouse Museum design chosen

The design for the relocated Powerhouse Museum has been selected with Moreau Kusunoki and Genton being the architects chosen to establish the first major museum to be based in Western Sydney.

The architectural vision for the museum has been selected following an international design competition which commenced in January 2019.

Minister for the Arts Don Harwin Geoff Lee said, to make the announcement. “the relocated Powerhouse Museum represents the largest investment in arts and culture infrastructure since the Sydney Opera House. Once this museum is built – there simply will not be another building like it in Australia – it will be a leading cultural institution in the South Pacific."

“The new Powerhouse will be a museum of applied arts and sciences that exemplifies how Sydney and Australia thinks about itself, its culture and our communities," 

The new museum will attract leading researchers, scientists and creatives from across Australia and around the world, while also providing ongoing opportunities for students from across NSW.

Moreau Kusunoki and Genton said, “We envisage the new Powerhouse Museum as a hyper-platform, a building with many functions and limitless potential."

"The building will tread lightly on the site, with the architecture opening up towards the river, providing generous public space and creating an open 24-hour precinct.”

The international architectural competition saw more than 74 entries received from 20 countries.

The SMH reports the Powerhouse Museum will need to raise $75 million from private philanthropists and corporations to meet the multi-million dollar cost of its new home.