The architects of the under-construction Powerhouse Parramatta have updated their design for the rooftop pavilion on the museum’s eastern building and finalized plans for the adaptive re-use of the heritage St George’s Terrace.
Moreau Kusunoki, Genton and landscape architect McGregor Coxall have submitted a design statement for the proposed changes as a part of a modification application before the NSW planning department.
Both the rooftop pavilion and the retained St George’s Terrace were late additions to the project, added after an outcry over the proposed demolition of both St George’s Terrace and Willow Grove saw the museum’s footprint reduced.
The rooftop pavilion is intended as a flexible space connecting to the external landscaped terrace and hosting exhibitions, events and workshops. Whereas the original proposal was for a relatively small structure on the western edge of the rooftop, the revised design calls for a continuous roof connecting the main pavilion to a secondary volume on the eastern edge. This will provide improved weather protection and connect the different activity zones of the rooftop.
St George’s Terrace and Phillip Street Forecourt in front of the main Powerhouse building.
Image:
Moreau Kusunoki, Genton, McGregor Coxall
The architects have aimed for a distinct language for the pavilion and rooftop that complements the architecture of the overall building.
“Lightness, transparency and a unified rooftop experience which seamlessly connects the external landscape terrace and the interior spaces, are at the core of the evolved design,” state the design team.
“The architectural expression of this canopy is discrete and minimal, almost floating over the East Building of the new Powerhouse. A large opening over the central garden creates a connection to the sky and sun, and provides a moment of vertical release for the planting.”
The museum says the pavilion will contribute programs that engage communities with Indigenous and agricultural science, climate change and local food production
St George’s Terrace, a row of seven two-storey terrace houses built in 1881, sits on the south-eastern corner of the Powerhouse Parramatta site.
The revised rooftop pavilion design.
Image:
Moreau Kusunoki, Genton, McGregor Coxall
The plan is for the building to become a flexible pavilion space that will be integral to Powerhouse programming.
Internal walls will be removed to open up a large, adaptable, double-height room across six of the terraces, while the easternmost terrace will house a service and back-of-house area.
The space will be used for education and group bookings, exhibition and event support, school group gathering and orientation, workshops and more.
Heritage elements will be retained, but the alteration will also remove later additions and introduce a similar material palette to the main building.
The space will connect to the surrounding public domain through doorways to the west, onto Phillip Street Plaza, and via extensive areas of glazing on the northern façade, which will open onto a laneway running betwen the terrace and the main building.
Each of the terrace’s four facades will be unique, in contrast to the monumental homogeneity of the main building’s exoskeleton. “Smaller windows along the southern facade reflect the original heritage fenestration pattern and provide light and opportunity for a controlled connection to the Philip Street environment,” the design team notes. “This is in contrast to the northern facade which is defined by a double storey expanse of full height glazing which maximises the visual connection to the lane and exoskeleton beyond. This unifies the internal experience of being within the terrace and within the Powerhouse precinct.”
Powerhouse Parramatta is scheduled to open in 2025.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
