City of Parramatta booming as PHIVE takes out top awards

The City of Parramatta’s striking new community, cultural and civic centre, PHIVE, has scooped Project of the Year and Community Project at the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue’s Boomtown! 2022 Property & Infrastructure Awards. 

With its bold red and orange roof, PHIVE, at 5 Parramatta Square, combines eye-catching design, environmental features, and state-of-the-art community facilities in the heart of Parramatta’s CBD.

The Boomtown! Awards recognise outstanding new community projects across Western Sydney. The awards showcase excellence across categories including infrastructure, sustainability, and tourism. 

City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Cr Donna Davis said the prestigious awards celebrate PHIVE’s innovation and design excellence alongside world-class facilities for communities to explore and enjoy.

“We are so proud of PHIVE – the beating heart of our city,” Cr Davis said.

“It is an honour to win not one, but two awards, recognising many years of hard work to deliver this landmark centre to our rapidly growing region. PHIVE is an architectural icon and Parramatta’s new living room with spaces for everyone. 

“With community, cultural and civic function at its core, PHIVE provides our city with a landmark – a symbol of our maturity. More than 55,000 people have already visited PHIVE to connect, collaborate and enjoy cultural experiences. Council is committed to excellence, and we are delighted PHIVE has been so well received by the community and recognised at this year’s awards.”

Spread across six levels, the $136 million centre opened its doors in September this year and includes a new library, maker spaces, tech labs, sound studios, visitor services and the new Council Chambers.

The building was designed by a team led by award-winning French architect Manuelle Gautrand, in partnership with Ms Gautrand’s French firm and Australian firms Design Inc and Lacoste + Stevenson, represented by Richard Does and Thierry Lacoste. 

Constructed by Built, the building connects with the original heritage-listed Parramatta Town Hall and incorporates environmentally sustainable design and ‘smart’ technology. 

Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue Chairman Christopher Brown AM said PHIVE was a central hub for artistic, cultural and community activity.

“Very few cultural and civic buildings around the world have the power of taking away the breath of a regular bystander; this is one of those projects,” he said.     “PHIVE has set a new benchmark when it comes to Greater Western Sydney becoming Sydney’s frontier for civics, culture, arts and business.    “The cultural and community flow-on effects this project will deliver can turbocharge Western Sydney’s reputation as the leading city for innovation, sustainability and next generation thinking.”

For more information, visit: www.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/phive