Flood management
Powerhouse Parramatta has been designed to withstand large and rare flood events.
It will be a safe building for people to visit and for the Powerhouse collection to be exhibited.
Flood risk has been a key consideration throughout the design development process, in line with Parramatta Council’s Development Control Plan requirements for Parramatta CBD buildings.
Flood modelling has confirmed that even in a ‘1 in 1000’ year river flood (0.1% chance in any 1 year), the museum ground floor would remain half a metre above the flood waters.
International engineering and flooding specialists Arup have prepared the adjacent graph, which highlights how recent flood data compare with other flood events, including February 2020.
Construction phase safety
Safety is the number one priority. During extreme wet weather, work on site is temporarily paused and resumes only when it is safe to do so. Machinery is transferred to upper levels of the site as required to respond to forecast extreme wet weather.
The riverfront
The site of Powerhouse Parramatta borders the Parramatta River and is located within the Upper Parramatta River Catchment.
The museum design includes an undercroft space, an area underneath the museum’s ground floor to allow the passage of flood water. The undercroft will be partially concealed with a sloped lawn, creating a seamless transition between Powerhouse Parramatta’s outdoor terrace and the riverfront. The undercroft will be secure and not open to the public. Find out more in this fact sheet.
During operation
As part of the flood resilience for the project, a flood management strategy will be developed and implemented when Powerhouse Parramatta is open and operating.
Most importantly, the majority of exhibition spaces as well as the emergency power supplies will be above any possible flood levels.