Award for Her Maj restoration works

NICHOLSON Construction has won a Master Builders Association of Victoria award for their restoration of Ballarat’s Her Majesty’s Theatre.

The 2019 project included the demolition and reconstruction of the structurally failing stage, reinforcement of the roof’s heritage-listed timber trusses, and installation of new structural steel trusses.

Other aspects of the works included damp mitigation in the basement levels, where years of rising damp and water ingress had been neglected, the restoration of the three-level auditorium’s heritage render and paintwork, and an upgrade of the under-stage dressing room facilities.

External restoration works were also undertaken, seeing new roofing, flashings and guttering, rendering, bluestone cleaning, painting, and a new ventilation system.

Project Manager Damien Tan said the stage and truss works were the most challenging construction tasks, while also competing with the building’s limited access points.

“The methodology was that we had to demolish the stage and existing structure, rebuild that, then build a scaffold tower on the stage up to the roof, which is three-and-a-half storeys up,” he said.

“The structural steel for the trusses was brought in through one window right at the top, in pieces, and then assembled on site.

“It was quite a significant package, like a big Meccano set.”

Mr Tan said the restoration of the auditorium was the construction crew’s most satisfying and rewarding project task, using traditional methods.

“There was a lot of damage to the original feature plasterwork, the borders, columns and Corinthian details.

“We had to strip out the damaged plaster and render, come back through to take moulds from the in-tact pieces, and make new details to look as if they had always been there,” he said.

“Our contractors did an excellent job on that, and then the repainting of the whole auditorium brought it back to life. We worked with the heritage architect to achieve the original paint colour scheme.”

Nicholson Construction and their sub-contractors are “humbled” to be recognised by the MBAV for their work on the historically and culturally significant building, which has been standing since 1875.

“The team worked so hard to do the building justice,” Mr Tan said.

“A lot of new buildings are concrete and plasterboard, but this was an opportunity to step back and embrace those old, previously used techniques in a contemporary, compliant, usable way.

“Nicholson Construction has been a Ballarat-based family company for 130 years. Being involved in this significant project was enough for us, but this award had been another great outcome for us, the City of Ballarat, and all the user groups.”