Final name for 5 Parramatta Square revealed

After a $30,000 ‘painstaking’ consultation process, Parramatta’s public building has been given an unconventional title despite claims it would be hard to pronounce and belonged in the Inner West.

A shortlist of names for 5 Parramatta Square has led to the council voting to name it to be named Phive, pipping the equally quirky Prisma and more conventional Civic for the hub which will house a library, council chambers and performing spaces.

Labor councillors, Green representative Phil Bradley, independents Lorraine Warne and Andrew Wilson, backed the title for Phive and argued Civic was overused.

Supporters argued civic was overused and 5PS needed a special name for the iconic building, which will open in April.

“It will have thousands of people walk through its doors on a weekly basis to actually consider it to be a hive, a community centre, a place where will people will come like bees to a honey pot in the middle of our city, to connect that Parramatta and that hive is so clever,’’ councillor Donna Davis said.

Cr Davis said the consultation process was staking but the Phive was reflective of the iconic building.

Phive supporters argued Civic was overused.

Councillor Bob Dwyer believed it would be too hard to pronounce Phive and 5PS would have been a better option.

“There’s quite a number of multicultural people, I think about 100 different nationalities out here as well as traditional people in the greater west and they probably have difficulty pronouncing phive,’’ he said.

“Down in Newtown, down in Annandale, they would love that sort of name. All these sexy names they come up with down in the eastern suburbs and wherever, all relate to buildings which are not government buildings.

“They’re either theatres or other sort of community buildings but not the building that’s going to house our local government office, our community centres.’’

Liberal Andrew Jefferies blasted Labor’s support for Phive.

“What are these guys on?

“Whenever I think of Phive I don’t feel it has anything to do with western Sydney, I feel like it’s some 1980s advertising executive who lives in Balmain or lives in Newtown.’’

Independent Lorraine Wearne slammed such talk about Parramatta residents finding it difficult to pronounce Phive.

“I thought we stopped being known for our flannelette shirts 40 or 50 years ago,’’ she said.

“I can’t get excited by the name Civic.’’

The council’s chambers, library and public performance spaces are to feature at 5 Parramatta Square.

Lord Mayor Steven Issa threw his support behind the Civic.

“I don’t think we need to get cute on the most important building in our city, the jewel in our crown,’’ he said.

“I ask councillors to reflect on the name the Opera House, or the Harbour Bridge. These are institutions throughout this country known throughout the world. You don’t need a funky, cute name to market those buildings.’’

The names for the Manuelle Gautrand-designed building emerged after the original titles — The Civic and Civic Place — failed to win support during the public feedback period.

A total of 273 respondents opposed Civic Place and 327 disagreed with The Civic proposal, prompting the council to redirect the naming suggestions to external consultants.

The council took the naming process back to the drawing board and the committee hatched seven ideas, which were broken down to three.

Here are the meanings behind the options.

Phive

Meaning the Parramatta Hive, the name was chosen to reflect 5PS’s design, functionality and purpose which the committee said would give it a well-earned reputation as a hub, or hive, of community, innovation, knowledge and ingenuity.

“Leveraging its prime position in a high-energy location, 5PS stands for activity and hype on a monumental scale,’’ the report said.

“It is a building that has been designed like a magnet, or a hive (beehive) to bring people together for a multitude of reasons.’’

Prisma

It rolls off the tongue like “prison” but the idea to christen 5PS Prisma was to reflect its shape as a prism, with parallel sides and two ends sharing the same shape and size.

The committee has combined “prism’” with Parramatta and takes inspiration from the architecture.

“When naming such an important landmark, we must not overlook its architecture or more simply, its shape,’’ the committee report said.

“5PS is an extremely complex and sophisticated shape.

“During our consultation with the architects, there was a word which was mentioned on many occasions, and this word was prismatic.”

Civic

This was the most obvious name that reflects 5 Parramatta Square’s function as a council headquarters that will unite civic and business leaders and be used as a central meeting place or a “cultural department store” that offers event and community spaces, entertainment, a cafe and more.

It aspires to become a platform for interaction and debate, and a ‘living room’ for the city.

“For as long as humankind has built cities, we have needed civic architecture,’’ the committee report said.

“5PS has been designed to make a statement about Parramatta that resonates with the local community and visitors, and although its architecture represents an identity of its own, still provides its civic duties.’’

A concept design of the library at 5 Parramatta Square.

Before the Monday night meeting, Cr Issa expected a fiery debate.

“I think irrespective of what council chooses tonight, or what the options, were it would cause debate,’’ he said.

“We’ve got to find a name that’s right for everybody.’’

The conspicuous red building’s shape was dubbed the “starship enterprise” and will house the Discovery Centre for interactive exhibitions, the Urban Living Room lobby, indigenous objects, cultural programs, a research lab and cafe.

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