Dunedin Railway Station restoration

Our three-year project at Dunedin Railway Station involved exterior maintenance and repairs to the prominent Historic Place Category 1 building. We completed the work in three stages, initially focusing on the north end.

Our scope included removal of the roof, replacement of timber and damaged tiles, new stainless steel spouting and downpipes, leadwork, stonework and cast iron downpipe repairs and repainting. We encapsulated the entire roof in a massive shrink-wrapped temporary roof system and installed a printed scrim to cover the façade, allowing work to proceed in all weathers and safely containing hazardous materials.

A good example of the combination of faithful restoration and modern know-how that we developed with our specialist tradespeople and the heritage architects is the methodology we used for the Marseilles roof tiles. We removed the lichen-covered terracotta tiles and stacked them on pallets for sorting and cleaning before replacing them on the roof, retaining the original tiles on the front elevation and introducing new tiles on the platform side. The tiles were originally wire-tied to wooden battens, which we removed to install building paper – an addition that is invisible from the outside but keeps the interior nice and dry. We drilled the tiles in the corner and re-fixed them with copper nails, adding bespoke lead ventilation tiles with mesh insets and some ventilation at the ridge cap, another innovation that will help to keep the building weathertight.

It was a privilege to work on a heritage building of this calibre. Regular, collaborative team discussions ensured that a high quality result was achieved for future generations to appreciate.