Heritage | CORE Consulting Engineers

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Commercial Office, Heritage, Façade, Remedial, Structural

124-136 Chalmers St, Surry Hills, NSW

Restoring the Beauty of a Historic Facade

CORE was engaged by Hector Abrahams Architects as the heritage facade remediation engineer for the restoration of the historic Amalgamated Engineering Union building at 124–136 Chalmers Street in Surry Hills.Constructed in 1929, the building’s distinctive terracotta faience facade is listed as a heritage item by the City of Sydney for its architectural quality and technological significance.

Over time, deterioration of the original fixing system and vegetation growth had caused sections of the facade to become unstable, with tiles loosening and posing a potential risk to the public along the busy Chalmers Street frontage. Investigations confirmed that conservation of the fragile terracotta facade would require an extraordinary intervention -the careful dismantling and reconstruction of the facade to address the underlying structural and durability issues.

CORE provided specialist engineering advice to guide the conservation strategy and ensure the heritage fabric could be preserved while addressing safety and structural performance.

The facade was safeguarded through extensive scaffolding works before restoration commenced. Approximately 80% of the terracotta tiles were individually removed, assessed and reinstated -requiring meticulous coordination and careful engineering oversight.

CORE had also previously delivered structural strengthening works to the building, installing carbon fibrere inforcement to the existing floor slabs, enhancing structural capacity while minimising intervention to the heritage structure.

Through close collaboration with key stakeholders, the facade was successfully conserved and reinstated. The project was recognised with a Highly Commended award in the Built Conservation category at the 2024 National Trust Heritage Awards, acknowledging the careful restoration of this significant heritage facade.

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Commercial Office, Heritage, Remedial

347 Kent St, NSW

CORE was engaged to deliver remedial facade advice pertaining to both heritage and non-heritage areas of 347 Kent St, a commercial building located within the vibrant YCK (York, Clarence and Kent St) Precinct of Sydney CBD.

Timeline

6 months – remedial specification

12 months – construction

Facade Remediation is an Art Form – Requiring Careful Balance Between the Rectification of Issues and Maintenance of a Building’s Unique Character.

Project Deliverables:

Full facade inspection
Defect mapping
Delivery of remedial specification
Quantifying final material quantities for tender

Defects associated with the facade primarily involved lead paint deterioration and cracking of the blockwork.

The facade inspection was conducted via ropes and supported by a panoramic camera head to deliver high-resolution photos from ground level.

Determination of final tender quantities for each of the remedial items within the specification proved challenging. As the remedial project was to be tendered out as a lump sum package of works, our team had to exercise a degree of caution in the final specification values; overestimating would see the project costs escalate whilst underestimating would result in an underquoting of works.

Grafton Bond Building, 201A Kent Street, NSW

Having developed a strong relationship with Investa, delivering annual facade audits and risk mitigation recommendations for a portfolio of 30 buildings nationwide, CORE was engaged to prepare a remedial specification for the Grafton Bond Building at 201A Kent St in Sydney’s CBD. The impressive, 140-year-old heritage listed building was experiencing expected levels of deterioration to various facade elements for a building its age and required careful restoration to preserve its heritage value.

Timeline

6 months – remedial specification

12 months – construction

Passionate facade remediation experts: preserving buildings of the past to enrich communities of the future

Home to a diverse range of small businesses, the heritage restoration was highly complex, carried out in a live environment with extensive project planning required due to challenges with site access, working at heights and hazardous materials on site.

The pre-delivery stage was particularly critical to undergoing work outside of hours and reducing disruption/noise throughout the works.

The scope included:

Preliminaries and drawings
Window sealant works
Timber frame recoating and repair
Glazing putty repair
Parapet capping sealant works
Security bar works
Masonry repointing and crack stitching
Balustrade corrosion works
Cavity flashing works
Guttering works
Slate roof tile replacement

CORE’s strong understanding of the intricacies of heritage remediation combined with our team’s passion for sustainable and cost-efficient solutions has proudly seen the Grafton Bond Building’s facade restored to its full potential.

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Commercial Office, Heritage, Electrical, Fire Engineering & Fire Protection, Hydraulic, Structural

139 Dowling St, Woolloomooloo, NSW

Located in the beautiful suburb of Woolloomooloo, this commanding late-Victorian terrace was set to undergo a complete renovation and rear extension, transforming it into a unique commercial office space.

Timeline

20 months – design through to completed works.

Blending old with new to achieve heritage

Engaged by M.A.D Bespoke Property Group, CORE delivered a 360-degree, multi-disciplinary structural and building services solution for 139 Dowling St, Woolloomooloo.

One of the most impressive features of the project was the design of a custom, inter-tenancy steel staircase showcasing an industrial, warehouse-style finish, serving as a unique focal point within the overall design.

Structural framing for the building’s flooring and rear facade was also designed in-house and utilised as much of the existing structure and framing as possible, resulting in a cost-effective solution that preserved the building’s heritage, achieved architectural intent and delivered the functionality and aesthetic of modern day.

The project spanned 5 open plan levels with CORE’s fire, electrical and hydraulic teams engaged to provide all-encompassing building services design in support of the building’s renovation and extension.

Experts in existing buildings with a passion for heritage, CORE are proud to have completed another successful transformation.