Six-strong Powerhouse Precinct fray also features French, Brazilian and Aussie-led teams

Amanda Levete鈥檚 AL_A practice and US firm Steven Holl Architects have landed places on the six-strong shortlist for Sydney鈥檚 拢220m Powerhouse Precinct museum complex.

The firms are joined by teams led by France鈥檚 Moreau Kusunoki, Brazil鈥檚 Bernardes Architecture and Australia鈥檚 BVN Architecture and CHROFI practices.

They were whittled down from 74 bid teams 鈥� made up of 529 individual firms 鈥� who entered the two-stage competition for the museum, organised by Malcolm Reading Consultants.

View across the Parramatta River towards the site

Source: MRC/Dianna Snape

View across the Parramatta River towards the site

Powerhouse Precinct, earmarked for a riverside site in Sydney鈥檚 Parramatta suburb, would be a 24-hour learning space focused on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

The brief for the scheme includes a state-of-the-art planetarium and 18,000sq m of exhibition and public space.

Client the New South Wales government said the Powerhouse Precinct would allow the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences 鈥渢o embrace a new curatorial strategy of integrated and immersive programs鈥�. MAAS鈥� current Powerhouse Museum is in the inner-city district of Ultimo.

Each of the shortlisted teams will receive an honorarium worth 拢80,000 at today鈥檚 exchange rates. The competition winner is expected to be announced towards the end of this year.

Powerhouse Precinct shortlist

AL_A (UK) and Architectus (Australia)

Bernardes Architecture (Brazil) and Scale Architecture (Australia)

BVN Architecture (Australia) and Carlo Ratti Associati (Italy)

CHROFI (Australia) with Reko Rennie (Australia)

Moreau Kusunoki (France) and Genton (Australia)

Steven Holl Architects (US) and Conrad Gargett (Australia)

 

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