Parramatta Phive, a new $136 million community and council building at the centre of the $2.7 billion Parramatta Square overhaul, is a project local Council hopes will put the city on the world stage.

Designed by France-based architect Manuelle Gautrand in conjunction with DesignInc and Lacoste+Stevenson, the building’s distinctive facade follows the path of the sun, with the hues of red and orange reminiscent of Australia’s natural environment. The colours of the aluminium panels lighten as the sun passes over them.

Gautrand likens the building as a magnet in the city that provides relief from the atypical commercial design language of Parramatta. The triangular shape of the building sees its levels stacked on top of one another similar to terraces, which in turn created an amphitheatre that faces the square that remains sunny all year round.

The name Phive is derived from the building’s address – 5 Parramatta Square – as well as being the hive of activity in Parramatta. The building is likened to Paris’s Pompidou Centre due to the way it interacts with the city square. An 18 metre opening ensures events are able to spill out onto the square, inviting engagement between councillors and the general public. The six-level building comprises the new Parramatta Library, council chambers, community meeting rooms and a cafe and restaurant.

DesignInc Director Richard Does tells the Sydney Morning Herald the building is an instant drawcard due to its unique facade. Along with the Parramatta Powerhouse and new horseshoe-shaped primary and high school, Parramatta is undergoing something of a built environment transformation.

The new commercial buildings at 6 and 8 Parramatta Square are expected to become Australia’s largest office precinct, with Woods Bagot’s design for the new NAB building at 3 Parramatta Square being shortlisted for the AIA’s 2022 NSW Architecture Awards. The Gathering Place, designed by Durbach Block Jaggers, sees a sacred meeting place of the Burramattagal people and the site of a 200-year-old church become the new Parramatta Mission building.

Jarrod Reedie

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