Powerhouse Precinct competition launched in Sydney | THE PLAN
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Powerhouse Precinct competition launched

Powerhouse Precinct competition launched in Sydney | THE PLAN
By Editorial Staff -

Australia’s New South Wales Minister for the Arts, Don Harwin, launched the open global search for an outstanding, world-class team, with exceptional skills in design and placemaking, for the landmark new Powerhouse Precinct at Parramatta, Sydney. The open two-stage competition welcomes both Australian and international design teams and actively encourages creative and intellectual collaborations between established and emerging talent.
The centerpiece of the precinct is a 24-hour museum, a new global cultural icon, that will be built on the banks of the Parramatta River in Sydney’s newly-designated Central River City, one of the fastest growing parts of the region. At the geographical heart of Sydney, the Powerhouse museum represents a major investment by the NSW Government. The new museum will house Australia’s largest and most advanced planetarium with ultra-high-resolution 3D video and multi-channel immersive audio. The museum will deliver Australia’s first dedicated learning space devoted to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics). A total of 18,000 sq. m of purpose-built exhibition and public spaces will enable the museum – which was founded in the late nineteenth century as the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (MAAS) and whose major site is currently in Ultimo – to embrace a new curatorial strategy of integrated and immersive programs.
The competition is organized by independent specialists Malcolm Reading Consultants (MRC). The deadline for Expressions of Interest is 22:00 AEDT / 11:00 GMT Monday 18 March 2019. Further details, including how to enter, are given on the competition website (https://competitions.malcolmreading.com/maasparramatta/).
Interested teams will need to demonstrate capability as a lead architect on a built project of comparable complexity and program of at least AUD $200M or, alternatively, provide evidence of their ability to deliver a buildable, memorable facility exemplifying design excellence within the construction budget for the base building, public realm and pedestrian bridge (set at AUD $400M). International teams will need to partner with a registered Australian architect. At least five finalist teams will be selected at stage two and each finalist team will receive an honorarium of AUD $150,000.
The designs produced by the shortlisted teams during stage two will be shown to the public in a physical exhibition and online gallery and the project client, Create Infrastructure, will be seeking public feedback on the proposals before the international jury, chaired by Naomi Milgrom, meets. The competition process has been endorsed by the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA). The winner announcement is expected in the second half of 2019.

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