Powerhouse Parramatta will establish a biennial architecture, design and engineering exhibition and a new gallery after it received a $10 million donation from a Sydney developer.
The Holdmark Gallery, named after its benefactor Holdmark Property Group, will be the second largest gallery space in the new Powerhouse Parramatta, covering 2,300 square metres with ceilings eight metres high.
Associated programs that will be delivered alongside the new gallery include a summer school program created in partnership with Western Sydney University. This multi-disciplinary program will focus on urban design, architecture, engineering, and holistic approaches to the built form.
Vice chancellor and president Barney Glover said the program will “simultaneously develop students’ design thinking capability and advance practical solutions for issues directly identified by the local western Sydney community.”
Students will have the opportunity to engage with a western Sydney local council on a project to tackle real-world challenges in the built environment and generate solutions under the guidance of academics and industry practitioners.
Designed by architects Moreau Kusunoki and Genton, Powerhouse Parramatta will be the largest museum in New South Wales, at 30,000 square metres.
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Moreau Kusunoki and Genton
Holdmark founder and chief executive Sarkis Nassif was born in Lebanon emigrated to Australia in 1987. He said his donation was motivated by desire to give back to the city that, as Nassif described, has “given so much to me.” Powerhouse Parramatta is Nassif’s first philanthropical gesture in the arts sector. The company will also become the principal partner of Sydney Design Week.
Powerhouse chief executive Lisa Havilah said Nassif has a migrant story that will resonate with many in the western Sydney community.
Powerhouse Parramatta is the area’s first cultural institution and will cost $915 million to build. The organization is hoping to raise a total of $75 million towards the project from private philanthropy. Powerhouse Parramatta is the New South Wales government’s largest investment in cultural infrastructure since the Sydney Opera House.
Construction is expected to commence this year with the museum opening to the public in 2025.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
