This project involves converting Fremantle’s historic wool stores into 183 apartments. Dating back to 1922, the building played a significant role in Fremantle’s port history, before being converted into ‘Fort Knox’ storage and standing empty for a number of years. Original heritage features including the saw-tooth roof, century old jarrah beams, exposed brick, grand windows and 3.6m high ceilings were retained, resulting in a contemporary aesthetic that honours the buildings history.
WGE undertook significant structural alteration of the existing structure as part of the architectural adaptive re-use works.
Key structural design outcomes included:
- Strengthening of the existing building to meet current seismic code requirements
- Introducing a new suspended parking level between existing timber floors along with vehicle access ramps to double the parking capacity
- Major structural alterations, including the design of new transfer structures, to enable a number of load-bearing timber columns to be removed as part of the architectural alternations
- Lowering of the existing ground floor to increase parking head-height and all associated retention works
- Strengthening and major alteration of existing elements as required to accommodate new building geometry and architectural alterations
- Assessment of existing elements for strength and durability via testing and investigative works
The heritage building presented a number of challenges:
- Working with limited existing building information
- The need to address structural shortcomings of the existing structure without holding up progress on the development
- Achieving structural requirements for strengthening and remediating whilst protecting and retaining the existing heritage fabric
These challenges were overcome by working in close collaboration with the builder to identify latent building conditions as early as possible. The structural team maintained a flexible co-operative approach in formulating design solutions that suited as-built conditions when these varied from existing drawings and expected conditions.
The outcome is a truly unique apartment development in the heart of Fremantle that features all the hallmarks of an iconic industrial building whilst offering the best of contemporary living.
Click here to view a video of the development featured on Channel Seven’s Today Tonight.
