Media Release
Powerhouse Partners with OMA/AMO
Powerhouse is excited to announce a collaboration with David Gianotten, Managing Partner – Architect at Office for Metropolitan Architecture and his team to conceptualise and develop one of the foundational opening exhibitions of Powerhouse Parramatta.
In Sydney to deliver a keynote for Powerhouse’s Sydney Design Week, Gianotten is leading the team designing one of Powerhouse Parramatta’s opening exhibitions which will explore the evolution of the mall. The exhibition will delve into the profound impact of shopping centres on contemporary life, examining how people, products and currency flow through these spaces.
Gianotten is renowned for his visionary work at OMA, the prestigious international architecture firm founded by Rem Koolhaas in 1975 and recognised for its global architectural icons such as CCTV Headquarters in Beijing and Fondazione Prada in Milan as well as its in-house research and design studio AMO.
AMO’s innovative work includes the ‘Countryside: The Future’ exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum and the 14th Venice Architecture Biennale, as well as a long-standing collaboration with Prada.
OMA/AMO’s influential 2001 publication, ‘Project on the City II: The Harvard Guide to Shopping,’ lay the foundation for their subsequent retail projects across fashion shows, retail and department stores and malls.
Drawing on this experience, OMA/AMO are collaborating closely with Powerhouse on the research, design, curatorial development, publication and programming, uncovering never before seen archives and incorporating a new body of research into observations and studies on the subject over the past 25 years. Alongside David, OMA/AMO’s team for the project includes Lead Architect Gabriel Duarte, Architect Helena Daher Gomes and Research Editor Sylvia Chan.
Gianotten’s body of work includes a series of groundbreaking projects that showcase his commitment to innovative design and sustainable development with his recent achievements including the Taipei Performing Arts Center, a new cultural landmark in Taiwan; the AIR Circular Campus and Cooking Club in Singapore, which reimagines a modernist building as a vibrant green space for discussions on food and the environment; Potato Head Studios in Bali, a resort that integrates with the local community; and Apollolaan 171 in Amsterdam, an office building that harmoniously blends nature with the work environment in one of the most prominent locations in the city.
In Australia, Gianotten’s influential projects include the WA Museum Boola Bardip in Perth – developed in collaboration with Hassell – and MPavilion 2017, further solidifying his international reputation across the design community. His contributions have been recognised with prestigious accolades, including awards at the Architectural Digest 2020 Great Design Awards, the 2021 Australian Institute of Architects Western Australian Chapter Awards, and the 2017 Melbourne Design Award.
In 2019, Gianotten served on the International Design Competition Jury for Powerhouse Parramatta that awarded Paris-based practice Moreau Kusunoki along with local architect Genton as the competition winners.
Powerhouse Chief Executive Lisa Havilah said, ‘David Gianotten is an international design leader at the absolute forefront of reconceptualising retail and its many meanings and affects in our contemporary world. The Powerhouse is excited to be collaborating with David, Gabriel Duarte and the OMA/AMO team on the development of one of our foundational exhibition projects for Powerhouse Parramatta. The future and history of retail, as experienced locally and around the world, is in a constant state of evolution. This project will connect us with the idea of the mall across suburbs and generations. A place that sits indelibly in our memories, everyday experience and imaginations.’
Managing Partner – Architect at Office for Metropolitan Architecture David Gianotten said, ‘We are delighted to have this opportunity to work so closely with the Powerhouse on this exhibition about the shopping centre, which is an architectural typology that both reflects and drives socioeconomic changes. This collaboration has stimulated us to look even further into the shopping centre’s origins and its diverse global manifestations. It is a platform for us to unpack complex issues at the intersection of architecture, economy, and society and we look forward to more conversations and debates on the subject in Western Sydney, Australia, and elsewhere.’
OMA Lead Architect Gabriel Duarte said, ‘The exhibition has allowed us to revisit and consolidate OMA/AMO’s thinking on the shopping centre over the past two decades. The Australian context, the remarkable Powerhouse collection and ongoing exchanges with the Powerhouse team have inspired fresh perspectives on this architectural typology.’
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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.
About OMA/AMO
OMA 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).