The New South Wales government has announced it will axe the previously mooted $481 million redevelopment of Powerhouse Ultimo, instead opting for a $250 million heritage revitalization of the existing museum.
The remaining $230 million will be diverted to support the construction of new school and hospital projects in the state.
The decision is the latest chapter in the long saga of Powerhouse Ultimo.
In 2015, the then-state government proposed to sell the site for $200 million in order to fund the relocation of the Powerhouse Museum to Parramatta, which drew ire from across the NSW community.
The government eventually backed down, announcing in 2020 that the site would be retained.
The existing Powerhouse Ultimo, including the 1988 extension known as the Wran building, will be retained.
Image: Powerhouse Museum
A design competition was launched in 2022 to create expanded exhibition and public spaces, with a focus on design and fashion.
The redevelopment proposed to demolish the Wran building, a 1988 extension that was designed by NSW government architect Ian Thomson and project architect Lionel Glendenning and earned a Sulman Medal: the highest accolade for public architecture in the state. The Wran building will now be retained.
The 2022 design competition was won by a team comprising Architectus, Durbach Block Jaggers Architects, Tyrrell Studio, Youssofzay and Hart, Akira Isogawa, Yerrabingin, Finding Infinity and Arup. Their design was unanimously selected by a jury and described as a “truly exceptional building.”
Following the 2023 state election, reports emerged that the previous government had buried two studies that highlighted the heritage significance of the 1988 adaptive-reuse works, and pressure mounted on the new government to reconsider the redevelopment approach.
“We have responded to community calls for a more modest redevelopment, saving the Powerhouse Museum and preserving the Wran legacy with a $250 million heritage redevelopment,” said arts minister John Graham.
