Cultural resilience and the philosophy of “ma” in architectural design

Architects Hiroko Kusunoki and Nicolas Moreau of Moreau Kusunoki, along with Lisa Havilah, Chief Executive of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS), will speak at the upcoming International Museum Construction Congress (IMCC), set to take place in Tokyo in April 2025.

Guggenheim Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

Their session, titled “From First Generation to Re-Generation (of Museums),” will explore how flexibility and resilience in the design and programming of cultural institutions are essential to meeting the needs of future generations. At the heart of the session is Powerhouse Parramatta, currently under construction in Western Sydney. Considered one of the most important museum projects globally, it is designed by Moreau Kusunoki and centers around the architectural philosophy of “ma,” a Japanese concept referring to the dynamic space between structures—an interstitial zone where life and meaning naturally emerge.

Rendering of Powerhouse Parramatta, NSW, Australia, currently under construction

Powerhouse Parramatta, NSW, Australia

Axonometry, Powerhouse Parramatta, NSW, Australia, Guggenheim Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

This approach creates a flexible and open architecture that encourages user-driven appropriation, emphasizes physical experience, and accommodates change over time. Moreau Kusunoki explains:“With the new Powerhouse Parramatta, we sought to question the very paradigm of the museum and to envision a platform with unlimited potential that evolves through its users and over time. We aimed to create a new cultural destination for Western Sydney and the world, one that continually reinvents itself through dynamic functions and efficient programming. Every visit to the precinct will offer a fresh intellectual and emotional experience, forming part of a shared memory in a place that is truly worthy of time. Centering the design around public space, the project presents a coherent and resilient architecture whose beauty arises from its ability to respond to the user’s needs and desires.”

Centre Pompidou 2030, Paris France - A renovation project led by Moreau Kusunoki in association with Frida Escobedo Studio

Centre Pompidou 2030, Paris France

Guggenheim Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland, Guggenheim Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

About Powerhouse Parramatta

Powerhouse Parramatta was unanimously selected as the winning proposal in the international design competition organized by MAAS and the State of New South Wales in 2019, among 74 teams and 529 individual firms.The project is being developed by an international team that includes Genton (local architect, Sydney), Arup (structure, MEP, façade, acoustics, sustainability), McGregor Coxall (landscape), Jun Sato Structural Engineers (exoskeleton concept), DEP (kinetic structure), and L’Observatoire International (architectural lighting).

About Moreau Kusunoki

Moreau Kusunoki, Hiroko Kusunoki (left) and Nicolas Moreau (right), Portrait by Guy Martinez

Moreau Kusunoki is an architectural practice founded in Paris in 2011 by Hiroko Kusunoki and Nicolas Moreau. Their design approach is defined by a fusion of Japanese spatial sensitivity and Western urban thought. This duality is present in every project they undertake. Their architecture oscillates between reason and intuition, generating undefined spaces known as “ma”—areas that provide room for personal interpretation and new meanings to emerge through user interaction. The studio has received international acclaim through numerous competition wins, including the Guggenheim Helsinki proposal, Sciences Po’s new urban campus in Paris, the National Lighthouse Museum in Brest, and Powerhouse Parramatta. In 2024, they were appointed to lead the cultural renovation of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, a project scheduled for completion in 2030.