Dormant Sydney power station to reopen as an arts hub following restoration works

Restoration and reconstruction works on the state heritage-listed White Bay Power Station (WBPS) in Sydney's Rozelle are now complete, with the former industrial station set to reopen to the public for the first time in 40 years as an arts and culture hub.

Constructed in 1917, WBPS holds the distinction of being Sydney's longest serving metropolitan power station. Originally established to power the city's tram network, the station later transitioned to powering the train system followed by the electricity grid in 1958. Forty years ago, in 1984, the site was decommissioned and has laid dormant ever since. The station earned a state heritage listing in 1999.

The restoration project was carried out jointly by heritage architecture firm Design 5 and FDC Construction and Fitout. Design 5 has been involved with the project for almost 16 years, demonstrating the rich, historical significance of the site.

During the project's early stages, several historical findings were unearthed and discovered that had not been documented, such as rooms and spaces untouched for decades. The basement had collected 40 years worth of rainwater - equivalent to 1.2 million litres of contaminated water - that needed to be pumped out.

One of the key spaces preserved was the Boilerhouse, the largest structure on the WBPS site, standing 45 metres tall. As part of the preservation works, the building underwent extensive steel and metalwork repairs. 100-year-old bricks were retained where possible and reinforced with new bricks.

The conservation efforts undertaken included storing and cataloguing heritage items uncovered on site, reinstating heritage items, preserving machinery and structures from when the power station was operational, and providing urgent structural and conservation support to existing heritage protected fabrics.

FDC operations manager, Ben Dircks, said the construction team required more than 3,600 tonnes of scaffolding to ensure the heritage-listed station was secure prior to commencing works. Furthermore, the scaffolding enabled the team to access areas that were not documented on plans.

"Every day was different. And we would discover new things about the building, adapt and have to be extremely innovative about how we would deal with many unforeseen structural challenges. It really gave us a sense of the people who built it 100 years ago - just admiration for their craftsmanship and ability to create such an impressive structure without modern day construction tools," Dircks said.

The WBPS will house events for the upcoming 24th Biennale of Sydney starting on 9 March.