Exhibition takes deep dive into future of power station site

Published on 02 February 2022

A giant gin distillery, a circus venue and what might be the world’s weirdest dive centre are among the eccentric ideas canvassed in a new exhibition reimagining the heritage-listed Wangi Power Station site.

The exhibition, on display at Wangi Library Creative Hub, displays a visual collection of ideas from students at the University of Newcastle’s School of Architecture and Built Environment, who were asked to reimagine the landmark building and grounds.

Once a major supplier of electricity to NSW, the Wangi Power Station site is now privately owned and up for sale, independent of Lake Macquarie City Council.

Manager Arts, Culture and Tourism Jacqui Hemsley said the Wangi Power Station Reimagined exhibition explored some left-of-centre approaches to the building’s reuse.

“The brief was simple - design new ideas for the power station to make it an exciting place for our community,” she said.

One design showcased in the exhibition uses the power station’s main building to house an amphitheatre-style circus. Another would see it sealed and filled with water for unique scuba-diving experiences.

One student whose work is included envisaged a multi-level indoor baths, while another suggested converting the whole thing into a banging nightclub.

“Sealing the building up and turning it into a water tank for scuba diving is unlikely to ever happen, but seeing these concepts does help the imagination run wild about this site’s future,” Ms Hemsley said.

“Designs presented by the students are in turn novel, thought-provoking and fascinating, and who knows – one day maybe we will see all or part of one of these ideas realised.”

University of Newcastle Head of Architecture Associate Professor Sam Spurr said School of Architecture and Built Environment students were “incredible” at creating images of future environments.

“This is a great example of how design projects can fire the public imagination and hopefully mobilise saving such an important site from dereliction,” he said.

“It also shows the important role universities play in the community, and how students can participate in what’s happening in our region.”

The exhibition is on display until 31 March 2022. Go to library.lakemac.com.au for opening times and further information.