The Western Sydney Business Chamber says the release of the winning world-class design for the new Powerhouse Parramatta was a thrilling milestone towards the construction of a state-of-the-art cultural facility in Western Sydney.
The Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS) has today announced the winning design for the new Powerhouse Parramatta to be built on the banks of the river in Sydney's booming central city of Parramatta.
The Western Sydney Business Chamber has been a vocal advocate for the creation of a new Powerhouse Museum located in Western Sydney.
"This new home for the Powerhouse Parramatta is a winning design that will allow new audiences in Western Sydney to connect with the collection for the first time and for old friends to view the collection in new light," said David Borger, Executive Director of the Western Sydney Business Chamber.
"The building will set a new benchmark for high quality architecture and I am hopeful that will inspire the next generation of buildings in Parramatta to live up to this potential.
"For many years Parramatta has turned its back on the river. The new Powerhouse Parramatta will create a new north-facing park and be the catalyst for the renewal of the river allowing greater public access to green space.
"Parramatta, in the geographical heart of Sydney, will soon be home to the largest museum in NSW at almost 30,000 sqm with 18,000 sqm of public and exhibition space. More than one million visitations a year to the Powerhouse Parramatta will be a game-changer for the city and our visitor economy."
Mr Borger said Deloitte research commissioned by the Western Sydney Business Chamber revealed that families in Western Sydney had a limited time budget for accessing cultural facilities and all of Sydney's major institutions were located in the Sydney CBD were out of their range.
"The residents of Western Sydney make up almost a third of NSW's population but receive only 5 per cent of cultural arts funding, compared to 87 per cent in Eastern Sydney. Powerhouse Parramatta is a significant investment in the cultural future of Western Sydney and is a step forward to address this historic imbalance," Mr Borger said.
David Borger was appointed a Powerhouse Trustee in December 2018.
