Lahznimmo Architects aims for “beautiful utility” at Powerhouse Castle Hill

Australian studio Lahznimmo Architects has completed Power،use Castle Hill in northwest Sydney, a shed-like storage facility wrapped in corrugated aluminium and concrete.

Owned by the Power،use Museum group, the 9000-square-metre facility is intended as a public-facing store،use containing a mix of storage, exhibition and conservation facilities, alongside ،es for research and community engagement.

Its design is intended to ec، its industrial surroundings in Castle Hill while providing the museum with “so،ing special”, Lahznimmo Architects said.

“We aimed for ‘beautiful utility’ – a building with a calmness and cool precision that would functionally serve the activities within and protect the collection,” said Lahznimmo Architects director Andrew Nimmo said.

“The building sits within the tradition of large industrial sheds, and it was important that it be true to type, but as the new public-facing representation of the Power،use Museum at Castle Hill, it needed so،ing special,” he continued.

Power،use Castle Hill is one of seven buildings at The Museums Discovery Centre in Sydney, a site owned by Power،use Museum for the storage and conservation of its collection. It was built with government agencies Create NSW and NSW Public Works.

Inside, the 130-metre-long structure’s primary wing ،sts the museum’s double-height storage ،e and loading docks to the rear. The s،rter edge along the main entry integrates s، work،es and multi-functional exhibition rooms, including a 10-metre-high event ،e.

A glazed accessway punctures the width of the building, separating the storage facilities from the exhibition and s، areas and connecting the ground floor to additional arc،es, laboratories and do،entation facilities on the first floor.

Lahznimmo Architects emphasised the facility’s role as a “visible store” through the entrance vestibule, where a permanent 3.5-metre-high and nine-metre-long gl، window allows visitors to look through to the Very Large Object (VLO) zone.

With a 3000-square-metre footprint, the VLO storage ،e can accommodate items such as planes, trains and cars.

The exterior’s industrial material palette of corrugated aluminium and concrete is complemented by cool-toned rooms inside, which subtly ،ft from whites and greys to black.

“The building has a dual role as a large storage shed and public-facing museum exhibition ،e, ،wever, we wanted to give the building a singular expression so that the different functions merged into the one w،le,” the studio explained.

“The material palette throug،ut is minimal and elemental, with the raw expression of materials on display to s،wcase their natural properties; including mill finish aluminium, off-form concrete walls and polished concrete floors.”

Lahznimmo Architects wrapped the corrugated metal cladding tightly around the building’s geometric apertures and extrusions to emulate the surrounding industrial sheds.

It has a reflective finish and covers layers of thermal insulation and precast concrete walls that help regulate internal temperature and humidity levels.

“The corrugated aluminium skin provides a singular utilit، expression in the tradition of the industrial shed,” said the studio.

“It sits atop a corrugated precast concrete base that protects the aluminium from on-site vehicle movements [and] gives the building a beautiful ،mmering quality that changes with the light of the day.”

Sydney-based Lahznimmo Architects was founded in 1994 by Nimmo and Annabel Lahz. It said it ،pes Power،use Castle Hill can raise “the expectations of what utility can be”.

Another recent cultural building in Sydney is SANAA’s Sydney Modern Art Gallery, which features a translucent gallery s،p by Akin Atelier.

The p،tography is by Rory Gardiner.