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a grid 12 square photographs show a eucalyptus plantation: in some, the leaf-covered ground is seen up close; sequence rhythm; others reveal a canopy of leaves against the sky. In another series, two large prints display blurred fields of color, the result of lumen prints being buried in soil used to nourish plantations. Photos that are not fixed during the darkroom process will change over time.
Amanda Williams’ commissioned work can be read as a eulogy. They hang from the walls of public and staff spaces within the Lahznimmo Architects-designed Powerhouse Castle Hill, the Museum of Sydney’s newest collections store and conservation facility on the site where the plantation once stood. The museum established the plantation on Dharug land in the late 1940s with the purpose of cataloging the trees and studying the economic potential of their essential oils. When this ceased in 1979, the museum’s collection warehouses (once spread across Sydney) were consolidated here and now consist of six buildings.1
Williams’ artwork raises questions of time and what we preserve, how we preserve it, and why we preserve it. As museums around the world grapple with colonial legacies and questions of future purpose and relevance, they serve as a mirror for the institution. These issues are brought into focus as the financial and environmental costs of housing and managing ever-expanding collections increase, as well as the associated public responsibilities.
The Powerhouse Museum’s collection of more than 500,000 diverse objects reflects an institution at the intersection of art, design, science and technology. (The Powerhouse is owned by the New South Wales Government and is a major arm of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS).) Lisa Havilah, director of the Powerhouse since 2019, believes that public funding The future of museums lies in their accessibility and their ability to connect with local communities. This spirit drives the project.
The building sits perpendicular to an existing row of warehouse buildings on land attached to TAFE next door and activates the area. It creates a portal to the site and points out possibilities for future contacts with higher education institutions. The plan of the building follows the outline. Its cross-section takes advantage of the site’s sloping topography, aligning with the storage buildings to the west and increasing in height as the ground slopes to the east. It utilizes thermal qualities and insulation to create a tightly sealed and environmentally sustainable facility.
The building is divided into a public “head” facing Showground Road and an operational “main” extending towards the rear of the site. The head has a large double-height gallery and event space on the upper floor, with staff offices below and access to the landscape.
The main body contains “Very Large Object” (VLO) storage, with various collection storage and preservation spaces above. A solid four-hour fire-resistant glass wall is open to the public, allowing viewing of the store from the main central vestibule. “Underfoot” is the loading area and object processing space.
Hawila is an engaged and directive client with a clear vision. In a successful three-way collaboration, the client, architect and contractor Taylor Construction created a building that is both sophisticated and functional. Its minimalism leaves everything exposed and uses materials in their raw state, relying on careful detailing and good construction execution. In Raznimo’s work, it’s stunningly streamlined yet retains its signature humanity.
The building is clad in 760 mm wide corrugated polished aluminum panels, with overlapping panels providing vertical links to the long façade. Precast corrugated concrete panels run along the base of the lower level. The entrance, located between the head and body of the building, is connected by a cast-in-place concrete wall, its subtle pink hue inspired by the color of the speckled gum tree trunks.
The aluminum exterior captures and reflects the atmosphere, which changes dramatically with different viewpoints, time of day and weather. It can disappear into a cloudy sky, sparkle in the Sydney sunshine, capture the colors of dusk, or mimic neighboring gloomy buildings. The patina of unfinished aluminum will darken over time, embracing change rather than resisting it.
In a gesture of generous citizenship, the facade is opened up at strategic locations. On the upper inner street side, four vertical glass slots showcase the conservation laboratory, while another slot leads to the corner of the double-height exhibition space. On the underside, angles of aluminum define the entrance rearward, with fins denoting an elaborate fire staircase that extends into the landscape adjacent to the TAFE in an exceptionally beautiful way. Nearby, wide staircases and ramps cut through the landscape, and shiny steel railings lead from the parking lot to the entrance vestibule.
To those driving along Showground Road, a main six-lane thoroughfare, Powerhouse Castle Hill looks like a charming, gleaming box lifted above the ground to reveal glass-enclosed galleries amid the wooded landscape . It stands out among a large complex of commercial and light industrial buildings located on the edge of a large suburban residential area. The building provides a unique cultural and public service to Hills County and beyond, inviting the public to view “their” collection and celebrate the work that occurs within it.
Collection management and conservation is an art and a science, a technical and organizational feat. Powerhouse Castle Hill pays homage to its purpose, embodying care and efficiency. No decorative elements were added: a white grid sits beneath the electrical equipment connected to the underside of the concrete slab; fire protection and lighting fixtures are strategically placed; large corrugated metal sliding doors cleanly connect the spaces. Even architect Andrew Nimmo generally believed that buildings had no meaning until they were occupied, but was also interested in the stark beauty of buildings when they were vacant.
What is most striking about the VLO store is the lack of visual noise, even the lights are hidden behind the beams. The overall effect will highlight the direct experience of the collection. The exhibition space is entered from the upper side of the building and is three storeys high on one side and single storey on the other. Again, the space is austere, with lighting from luminous panels that simulate windows and simple trusses for hanging objects. Glass curtain walls wrap the sides of the space, providing porosity to the exterior and reminding people that the collection comes from and is part of the spectrum of life.
The consistency of detail in every aspect of the building is impressive, from public spaces to staff spaces, from conservation labs to loading docks. A window connects the two sanctuaries, making them feel less enclosed; Staff kitchens and collaboration spaces are newly commissioned by Australian designers; Circadian lighting in staff offices means color and intensity change depending on the time of day .
There was no need to patch the cast-in-situ concrete, which was constructed and crafted with great care, especially in the entrance vestibule and public areas. Hawila was clearly pleased with the results, subconsciously running her hands along the walls as we walked around. There is no backstage, she explains. Staff and public spaces are treated equally, with the fire staircase featuring the same polished steel handrails as the external entrance. The only exception is the machine room – although mechanical services have wonderful aesthetic appeal in this case.
Inspired by James Turrell’s land art project Roden Crater, lighting designer Donn Salisbury created an unexpected moment of joy. Storage facilities and conservation laboratories are accessed via a dramatic dark corridor that runs throughout the building. Motion-sensing downlights cast pools of low light onto dark floors as you move. At the end of the corridor, a light eye replicates the life cycle of a star, its temporal changes related to the pace you walk. Movement is tracked as humans explore the precious and fascinating realms of collections.
Collections reflect time and memory, with objects reflecting the institutional and social values of a particular period. The exterior of Powerhouse Castle Hill reflects the continued energy of the world. Like Williams’s photographs, it reminds us that our assessment and interpretation of collections, as well as our engagement with them, are constantly evolving.
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