Restoration of Clarendon Terrace, East Melbourne

Headquarters of the
Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Foundation

The Solution

The structural problem was tackled first.  A network of structural ties was inserted into the fabric of the walls to arrest the movement and to maintain the structural integrity of the building after restoration.  Steel rods were threaded through the walls and anchored by steel plates on the external walls, as shown above.

Simultaneously, several designs for restoration were considered.

The plan accepted features a Grand Gallery with a broad, sweeping staircase and a new clerestory roof.  The structural ties can be seen as exposed rods running from side to side across the clerestory roof at lighting level.

The administrative needs of the Foundation were met by the creation of offices, a library and service areas on the ground floor and a committee room upstairs.  A seminar room was also created on the upper story with a capacity for seating 60 persons theatre style.