Parramatta North Program

Gartner Rose completed a complete refurbishment, restoration and fitout at the heritage sites of Parramatta North Precinct and ParraGirls Garden. The works were undertaken to accommodate more staff and enable decanting of existing tenants into other buildings across the precinct to make way for the proposed Western Sydney Start-Up Hub.

Refurbishment and fit out works were completed on various separate heritage listed office buildings at Cumberland Hospital and an area on Level 1 of the Westmead Hospital. Restoration works were completed to a separate building at Cumberland Hospital, including replacement of the slate roof and refurbishment of the existing timber windows and louvres.

Throughout the works, in both settings, attention to detail was given to heritage fixtures and fittings as well as landscaped features to provide an authentic and sensitive outcome, emulating the original intent of the area. High level coordination of building services including hydraulic, electrical, mechanical and fire service upgrades was also executed paying respect to heritage aspects of the precinct.

A significant amount of sandstone works formed part of the scope. Sandstone removal and replacement at the Parramatta North Project consisted of the demolition and reconstruction of an entire 80m long x 1.2m high wall by removing and archiving the existing pieces of sandstone to be reinstalled in the exact same position. Specific pieces of stone were to be replaced with new sandstone blocks.

New replicate curved cappings, 1,400mm long x 400mm wide x 400mm high, were fabricated and installed, which had the existing restored heritage cast iron palisade picket fence lead cast into new pockets of the capping stone.

Chimney capping stones were replaced on top of the Normer Parker buildings which have a significant heritage importance. Access to these chimneys was undertaken by building a tower and cantilevered scaffold on the outside of the building which wrapped around the existing chimneys. The scaffold could not be anchored or supported by the surrounding building. The original chimney pots were removed, the top capping sandstone blocks were removed and replaced, craned into position and the existing chimney pots were reinstalled on completion.

Gartner Rose removed over 750t of excavated material from the heritage Parramatta North Precinct and ParraGirls Garden without impacting on the continued operation of the Cumberland Hospital site. Material removed had a range of different classifications including approximately 180t of asbestos containing material. Gartner Rose worked in conjunction with the client and project environmental consultants to ensure the safest and most economical method of removal. This included significant testing of material both insitu and within stockpiles prior to any movement or disposal of material.