Media Release
Powerhouse Parramatta Celebrates Topping Out Construction Milestone
Powerhouse Parramatta has celebrated another major construction milestone with the topping out of the eastern building of the museum, bringing the completion of Australia’s most exciting new cultural landmark a step closer.
Attended by Powerhouse Trustees and campaign donors, the topping out included the symbolic placement of an Australian pine tree on top of the building’s structure, a construction tradition that signifies the completion of a building’s highest point.
This significant milestone represents a major step forward in the development of Powerhouse Parramatta, with the topping out of the western building set to follow in 2025.
This achievement marks the culmination of a series of significant milestones for Powerhouse Parramatta for 2024 including the completion of all three building cores, the structural formation of six out of the seven exhibition spaces and the installation of the exoskeleton up to Level 4 of both buildings which equated to the use of 600 tonnes of steel every month. In addition, six of the eight escalators have been installed, and two of the three link bridges connecting the eastern and western buildings are now complete.
Powerhouse Parramatta is the largest NSW Government investment in cultural architecture since the Sydney Opera House was built more than 50 years ago, and the first major cultural institution to be established in Western Sydney. When completed it will welcome two million visitors through its doors in the first year to enjoy 18,000sqm of museum exhibition and public space including a rooftop garden.
Ceremony host and Lendlease Construction General Manager NSW David Langford praised the “power of partnership” in working with teams across NSW Government including Powerhouse and Infrastructure NSW.
The milestone was also marked by speeches from Powerhouse Trust President, The Hon. Peter Collins AM KC, and Infrastructure NSW Head of Projects NSW, Bruno Zinghini, who both praised the team’s progress and the transformative impact the development will have on the region.
The topping out follows several milestones and partnerships throughout the year, including:
- Community and Wellbeing Partnership: ING Australia has committed a transformative $4 million to Powerhouse Parramatta, establishing the company as the museum’s Community and Wellbeing Partner. This investment will support local communities through the ING Pavilion and the ING Community Wellbeing Program.
- Urban Transformation Summer School: In collaboration with Western Sydney University (WSU), Powerhouse Parramatta, and Holdmark, and supported by Blacktown City Council, the Urban Transformation Summer School provided students with hands-on experience in urban design, encouraging innovative solutions for civic engagement and environmental sustainability.
- STEM Education Initiatives: Through a series of engineering workshops, delivered in partnership with TAFE NSW and supported by the Sir William Tyree Foundation, Powerhouse Parramatta has fostered STEM learning among students aged 12–17, providing opportunities for them to explore new technologies and meet with industry professionals.
- Farrell Family Foundation Partnership: In August, the Farrell Family Foundation’s investment in the Lang Walker Family Academy expanded learning opportunities for regional and rural NSW students, enhancing access to STEM education and resources through the In-Schools 2025 program.
- Lang Walker Family Academy Space Program: Powerhouse Parramatta’s Lang Walker Family Academy launched its first student-designed experiment to the International Space Station (ISS) in November.
Powerhouse Trust President the Hon. Peter Collins AM KC said, ‘Powerhouse Parramatta is being realised with $75 million support from our visionary and ambitious philanthropic and corporate partners. It is within this building that the extraordinary Powerhouse Collection will feature in exhibitions that are nationally and internationally important presented in the Holdmark and Sir William Tyree Foundation galleries. These exhibitions will connect audiences with new ideas around the applied arts and applied sciences and will benefit the people of NSW, particularly the communities of Western Sydney.’
Powerhouse Chief Executive Lisa Havilah said, ‘Today marks an exciting milestone for Powerhouse Parramatta and it’s a moment of great significance for the people of Western Sydney. The topping out of Building B brings us closer to delivering our communities a dynamic space for creativity, learning and connection by offering a world class venue for art, culture and innovation and cementing Parramatta’s position as a vibrant cultural hub.’
Lendlease Construction General Manager NSW David Langford said, ‘We’ve made strong progress at Powerhouse Parramatta, and continue to bring our expertise in design and construction excellence to this landmark project. Having reached this significant milestone in Building B's construction, we're looking forward to delivering this world-class cultural space for the people of Parramatta and beyond.'
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About Powerhouse
Powerhouse sits at the intersection of arts, design, science and technology and plays a critical role in engaging communities with contemporary ideas and issues. We are undertaking a landmark $1.2 billion infrastructure renewal program, spearheaded by the creation of the new museum, Powerhouse Parramatta; expanded research and public facilities at Powerhouse Castle Hill; the renewal of the iconic Powerhouse Ultimo; and the ongoing operation of Sydney Observatory. The museum is custodian to over half a million objects of national and international significance and is considered one of the finest and most diverse collections in Australia. We are also undertaking an expansive digitisation project that will provide new levels of access to the Powerhouse Collection.