The Powerhouse Castle Hill, designed by Lahznimmo Architects, has opened as a cutting-edge storage and research facility for the renowned Powerhouse Collection. This impressive 8,100-square-meter complex forms a crucial part of the Museum Discovery Centre, operating in partnership with the Australian Museum and the Museums of History New South Wales. The facility represents a significant advancement in museum infrastructure, addressing critical storage needs while creating new opportunities for public engagement and educational programming.
The project emerged from pressing practical needs at the existing Castle Hill site, which housed six large storage sheds that were rapidly reaching capacity. With approximately 95% of the Powerhouse Collection maintained in storage at any given time, most of it at Castle Hill, the facility plays a vital role in preserving Australia's cultural heritage. The construction of the new facility became even more urgent with the development of Powerhouse Parramatta, which required additional items to be relocated to Castle Hill along with staff and specialized functions such as conservation laboratories.
In 2018, CreateNSW commissioned Lahznimmo Architects to design the ambitious 9,000-square-meter facility with multifaceted capabilities. The brief included storage for the Powerhouse collection and archives, flexible spaces for education and public programs including workshops and talks, exhibition and event spaces, conservation laboratories and collection workspaces, photography and digitization facilities for collection documentation, workspace for 50 staff members and visiting researchers, and comprehensive object and exhibition preparation areas including packing, quarantine, and holding spaces.
Referred to as Building J, the new facility serves as an important public-facing interface with Showground Road while seamlessly integrating into the broader campus, including the adjacent TAFE institution. The striking 130-meter-long building is strategically aligned north-south, with an east-west accessway that cleverly separates storage facilities from exhibition and staff areas while opening up pedestrian circulation throughout the site. This thoughtful design approach creates a clear functional hierarchy while maintaining visual and physical connections across the complex.
The building's design reflects its multifaceted mission to serve diverse user groups including staff, volunteers, educational groups, researchers, artists, scientists, industry partners, and the general public. The facility significantly expands the site's ability to host public exhibitions, providing a much-needed museum facility for residents of Sydney's northwest region. A standout feature is the 10-meter-high flexible exhibition space that fronts the main entry, creating an impressive and welcoming public interface.
One of the most innovative aspects of the design is the integration of the collection storage with public viewing opportunities. The collection store remains permanently visible within the main entry vestibule through a dramatic 3.5-meter-high and 9-meter-long frameless glazed opening. This transparent wall allows public viewing into the expansive 3,000-square-meter Very Large Object (VLO) storage area, which houses fascinating Powerhouse Museum artifacts including historic planes, trains, and automobiles. This approach transforms typically hidden museum infrastructure into an engaging public experience.
The storage facility incorporates sophisticated climate control systems essential for collection preservation, maintaining a constant temperature range of 20°C plus or minus 2°C and relative humidity of 50% plus or minus 5%. The building is essentially designed like a large cooler, featuring reflective aluminum cladding over thermal insulation that protects precast concrete wall panels on the interior, providing crucial thermal mass for temperature stability.
The material palette throughout the facility is deliberately minimal and elemental, showcasing the raw expression of materials to highlight their natural properties. The design features mill-finish aluminum, off-form concrete walls, and polished concrete floors, creating a cohesive aesthetic that celebrates industrial materials. The color palette maintains a cool tonal range progressing from white through various grays to black, reinforcing the building's utilitarian yet sophisticated character.
The exterior design embraces the tradition of industrial architecture with a corrugated aluminum skin that provides a singular utilitarian expression reminiscent of classic industrial sheds. This aluminum cladding sits atop a robust corrugated precast concrete base that protects the aluminum from damage caused by on-site vehicle movements. Openings within the aluminum skin are thoughtfully formed with folds that respond to the specific activities taking place within different areas of the building.
Sustainability considerations are integrated throughout the project, with electrical usage supplemented by a substantial 100-kilowatt roof-mounted photovoltaic system that helps reduce the facility's environmental impact. The building also incorporates water conservation measures, with roof water collection systems feeding greywater uses including toilet flushing, demonstrating a commitment to environmental responsibility.
The Powerhouse Castle Hill represents a new paradigm in museum design, successfully balancing the practical requirements of collection storage and conservation with the public mission of cultural institutions. By making storage visible and accessible, the facility challenges traditional boundaries between behind-the-scenes operations and public engagement, creating new opportunities for education and inspiration while maintaining the highest standards of collection care and preservation.
