Powerhouse Museum Ultimo Revitalisation now on Public Exhibition

The State Significant Development Application (SSDA) and supporting Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo Revitalisation is now on public exhibition until Thursday 30 May 2024.   

The community is invited to participate in the planning process for the project by viewing the SSDA and EIS, and making a submission to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI). 

The NSW Government is investing $250 million to provide a world-class contemporary museum focused on applied arts and sciences. It will deliver an exciting revitalised cultural destination for the people of NSW and a museum that responds to, and better complements, the changes that have taken place in and around Ultimo since the museum opened in 1988.  

Proposed design 

The proposed design has been developed by leading Australian architects Durbach Block Jaggers working in partnership with Architectus, alongside landscape architects Tyrell Studio. It responds to community feedback about this much-loved cultural institution and includes: 

  • Four flexible, dynamic exhibition spaces that allow the museum to create and present high quality, internationally leading museum exhibitions across the applied arts and applied sciences and featuring the Powerhouse Collection.  
  • Conservation of the heritage-listed original Power Station buildings for their ongoing adaptive reuse by the Powerhouse.   
  • New public domain spaces including a 2,000sqm square at the northern end of The Goods Line, the Post Office Courtyard on Harris Street and an internal courtyard accessible from Macarthur Street.  
  • Establishing one central, intuitive, and accessible visitor circulation system to access exhibition, program, and education spaces to support a high-quality visitor experience.   
  • Separating front-of-house and back-of-house operations from exhibition and circulation spaces.   
  • A newly activated façade along Harris Street, which will improve the museum's contribution to the Ultimo streetscape.
  • Dedicated spaces designed for the Powerhouse learning programs, enabling the museum to create immersive educational experiences, workshops and programs catered to students and learners of all ages.

All the planning documentation is now available to view on the Planning Portal.  

To assist with interpreting the detailed information, Infrastructure NSW have prepared fact sheets about the proposed design, overview of the EIS, heritage impacts and how to make a submission.

View factsheets

Feedback during public exhibition should be made directly to DPHI.  

Please refer to our How to make a submission fact sheet for more detail.

Find out more 

During the public exhibition period, we are hosting community information sessions both online and in-person so you can speak directly to the project team and ask questions about the project.  

Join us online or in-person: 

Date Location

Saturday 18 May 2024, 10am - 12pm

 Harwood building loading dock, accessed via Macarthur St,  Ultimo
Tuesday 21 May 2024, 11:30am - 1pm

Online

Register
Tuesday 21 May 2024, 5pm - 7pm

Harwood building loading dock, accessed via Macarthur St,  Ultimo

 

Alternatively, please reach out to the project team directly via: 

For more information, visit the project website and sign up to the mailing list to receive updates.

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