Media Release
POWERHOUSE PARRAMATTA OPENING DATE REVEALED
Western Sydney’s first state cultural institution, Powerhouse Parramatta will open its doors to the public on Saturday, 7 November 2026.
Located on the banks of the Parramatta River, the museum will be a major new landmark for Australia and a global cultural destination for Western Sydney.
Its opening marks the most significant cultural infrastructure project since the Sydney Opera House. Powerhouse Parramatta is a $915 million project, including $75 million philanthropic contribution and the delivery of the new Castle Hill collection storage facility.
A celebration of applied arts and sciences, the museum will open with five landmark exhibitions of major scale. More than 3000 objects, including over 1600 from the Powerhouse Collection will showcase Australian and global innovations of science, technology, engineering and design on an unprecedented scale.
The Mall has now been revealed as one of the five opening exhibitions, with the full exhibition program to be announced soon.
The Mall examines the history, evolution and cultural significance of the shopping mall, one of the most influential and ubiquitous forms of architecture in modern life.
Frank Lowy and John Saunders pioneered the urban shopping centre in 1959 as creators of the very first Westfield in Blacktown, a global model of large-scale, transport-integrated retail. This internationally important innovation which emerged from Western Sydney is the starting point for the foundational opening exhibition, investigating the role of suburban shopping centres like Westfield Parramatta and Westpoint Blacktown as vital community hubs where culture, commerce and community collide.
The exhibition, designed and curated in collaboration with world-renowned architecture firm OMA/AMO, with a team led by David Gianotten, Gabriel Duarte and Sylvia Chan, draws on decades of research and expertise in retail architecture including the The Harvard Guide to Shopping, published by OMA/AMO and the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Unfolding across two storeys and five distinct architectural spaces: Arcade, Desire, Transaction, Ideal City and Forum, The Mall traces the shifting rituals of retail. From the nineteenth-century arcade to AI-driven commercial systems, these spaces invite audiences to participate in a vivid portrait of a building type that continues to shape contemporary life.
Australian and global innovation in retail across architecture, design, technology, engineering and fashion is on display throughout with over 560 objects from the Powerhouse Collection, presented alongside more than 280 loans, ephemera and personal stories collected from the local community.
New commissions by 18 Australian and international designers, architects and creatives question the legacies of the shopping mall, revealing the effects of consumption, the afterlives of retail development and the utopian imaginaries that continue to shape commercial space.
Highlights include:
- The archive of Austrian-American architect and urban planner Victor Gruen, displayed publicly for the first time.
- Archival material from Australian brands that have shaped local identity and global consumer culture from Le Specs, Hot Tuna, Mambo, Globe, Crumpler, Above the Clouds and Song for the Mute.
- A large-scale reimagining of a 19th-century Sydney arcade, featuring a series of window displays developed in collaboration with leading brands Breville, David Jones, Oroton, R.M. Williams and Sportsgirl, with Dashing Group, Pattern Studio and international retail creatives Mary Portas and Anna Burns, showcasing the art of visual merchandising.
- 100 new photographic works by renowned photographers Jo Duck and Bahram Mia, commissioned by Powerhouse, documenting the relationship between people and malls in Western Sydney.
- The iconic Levi’s 501 jeans worn by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and the prototypes of the Predator Boot, conceived by former Liverpool player, Australian Craig Johnston and famously worn by David Beckham.
- Australian premiere of a major co-commission with M+ in Hong Kong of an animated film by acclaimed South Korean artist Ayoung Kim.
- A contemporary reimagining of Southwest Sydney’s Roselands Raindrop Fountain by industrial design studio Vert.
- Dr Ryan Presley’s Blood Money, a richly layered series of watercolours, challenging the predominantly white settler narrative depicted on Australian banknotes and promoting the stories and legacies of important and notable Aboriginal figures.
- An autonomous ballet of warehouse robots by Japanese artist yang02, developed with KNAPP.
- OMA/AMO’s survey of 101 malls around the world.
The Mall is presented with Major Partner KNAPP, a leader in intelligent robotic warehouse systems. Beyond the physical exhibition, five bookazines developed by OMA/AMO and Powerhouse, designed by Studio Ongarato, will bring together interdisciplinary contributions that document and speculate on the mall as an evolving cultural manifestation.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Western Sydney, Prue Car said, ‘The opening of the Powerhouse Parramatta will be a proud moment for Western Sydney. It’s been made for and by Western Sydney workers, and local businesses.
‘We know visitors from across the region are in high anticipation to cross the threshold. And those coming from interstate or overseas will soon head straight from the new airport to the Museum to explore the best innovations and creativity from around our city, state and the globe.’
Minister for the Arts, John Graham said, ‘When it opens this November, Powerhouse Parramatta will transform Parramatta, linking the centre with the riverfront.
‘Visitors to the Museum will have great cost of living options as entry to the Museum and most exhibitions will be free’
‘It will bring audiences from across Sydney, NSW, Australia and the world to explore its bold exhibitions and reshape what audiences think of a museum experience.’
Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said, ‘The Minns Labor Government is delivering a world-class cultural institution in the heart of Western Sydney that will transform the Parramatta River waterfront and become a crown jewel for the region.
‘Powerhouse Parramatta will give Western Sydney a cultural institution on a scale it deserves and help cement Parramatta as a major new cultural and tourism destination that will draw visitors from across Australia and around the world, while creating jobs and supporting local businesses across Western Sydney.’
Parliamentary Secretary for the Arts and Member for Granville, Julia Finn said, ‘Western Sydney has led the world with our innovation around shopping malls, which have profoundly impacted the way we live.
‘The Mall shares many great industry innovations of Western Sydney and NSW and their connections and influence they have had on the world.’
Member for Parramatta, Donna Davis said, ‘For years and years Parra Mall was the food court of choice for workers and locals alike and one of the few places to grab a quick lunch. While Parra Mall has made way for the Metro I look forward to the Powerhouse Parramatta exhibition taking me back to the aromas and lunchtime shopping at the mall shopping at the mall in the 90s.
‘We know visitors from across the region are in high anticipation to cross the threshold of Powerhouse Parramatta. And those coming from interstate or overseas will soon head straight from the new airport to the Museum to explore the best innovations and creativity from around our city, state and the globe.’
OMA/AMO Managing Partner – Architect, David Gianotten said, ‘As a member of the jury for the museum’s design competition and a keynote speaker at Sydney Design Week, I am especially proud to contribute to the opening of Powerhouse Parramatta, a major cultural landmark for Sydney and Australia.
‘Over the past two years, OMA/AMO has worked closely with Powerhouse to develop The Mall, tracing the evolution and significance of the architectural typology. We hope it will spark new conversations about the role of the mall in shaping the social and cultural life of our cities, and its potential to foster new forms of collective experience. We are equally excited to accompany the exhibition with a series of five bookazines featuring in-depth stories, research, and art that further explore the role of the mall and shopping in general.’
Powerhouse Chief Executive, Lisa Havilah said, ‘Powerhouse Parramatta is a museum built for the future, where local knowledge meets global perspectives. We are thrilled to be opening our doors this November with five world-class exhibitions and a program that is as bold and diverse as the communities it serves.’
Powerhouse Parramatta is designed by Franco-Japanese architects Moreau Kusunoki (Lead Designer) and Australian architecture firm Genton (Local Architect) and Arup. The project is proudly funded by the NSW Government, delivered by Infrastructure NSW, constructed by Lendlease and is being realised through the generosity, support and collaboration of foundations, agencies, businesses and individuals for the benefit of NSW communities.
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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 (opens in new tab).
About OMA/AMO
OMA (opens in new tab) is an international practice operating within the traditional boundaries of architecture and urbanism. AMO, a research and design studio, applies architectural thinking to domains beyond. OMA has an Australian office located in Brisbane, founded in 2021 and co-led by David Gianotten and Paul Jones.
OMA is led by seven partners and maintains offices in Rotterdam, New York, Hong Kong and Australia. OMA’s completed projects include Simone Veil Bridge in Bordeaux, Apollolaan 171 in Amsterdam, Taipei Performing Arts Center, WA Museum Boola Bardip, Axel Springer Campus in Berlin, Potato Head Studios in Bali, and MPavilion 2017. Earlier buildings include Fondazione Prada in Milan, CCTV Headquarters in Beijing, the Seattle Central Library, and the Netherlands Embassy in Berlin.
AMO often works in parallel with OMA’s clients to fertilize architecture with intelligence from an array of disciplines. AMO has worked with the European Union, Prada, Universal Studios, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, and Harvard University. It has produced ‘Countryside: The Future’ at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, and exhibitions at the Venice Architecture Biennale. AMO, with Harvard University, was responsible for the research and curation of the 14th Venice Architecture Biennale and its publication Elements of Architecture (2014).