Powerhouse Castle Hill welcomed thousands of visitors through its doors when it was officially opened by NSW Minister for Arts and Tourism John Graham on Saturday 23 March, 2024.

Image Credit: Sahlan Hayes

The two-day opening program included family-friendly workshops, artist talks, architectural tours and performances by musicians, DJs and dancers including First Nations group Jannawi Dance Clan, Western Sydney Youth Orchestra and one of Australia’s oldest lion and dragon dancing troupes, Jin Wu Koon.

Delivered in partnership with Create NSW and SW Public Works, Powerhouse Castle Hill is the new $44m state-of-the-art facility that is home to the storage, conservation and display of the Powerhouse Collection which includes more than 500,000 objects.

Image Credit: Rory Gardiner

Designed by Lahznimmo Architects and built by Taylor Construction, Powerhouse Castle Hill has been constructed to international museum standards and features a visible store, allowing public viewing into the 3,000 sqm Large Object storage area that stores the museum’s transport collection.

At more than 8,000 sqm, Powerhouse Castle Hill will house one of the southern hemisphere's largest photographic cycloramas that can carry objects up to 4 tonnes and will enable the ongoing digitisation of the collection.

It is the first time in the museum’s 140-year history that the collection will be stored in one location and co-located alongside conservation, curatorial and collection management staff.

The new building will provide public access for education programs, workshops, talks, exhibitions and other public events as well as working spaces for academic researchers, scientists and industry partners. The design of Powerhouse Castle Hill has already earned Lahznimmo Architects a nomination in the Australian Institute of Architects 2024 New South Wales Architecture Awards in the category of Public Architecture.

The new Powerhouse Castle Hill building sits alongside the Museums Discovery Centre, and both are open and free to the public every weekend. The expansion of Castle Hill is an integral piece of the $1.2 billion renewal of the Powerhouse which includes Powerhouse Parramatta, currently under construction, and the heritage revitalisation of the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo.