CHALLENGE

The National Film and Sound Archive is Australia’s ‘living’ archive – the custodian of over 3 million items collected and preserved for future generations and shared in many diverse ways. Through cutting-edge research and preservation practices, the NFSA has become internationally recognised as a centre of excellence. PCB is currently engaged to deliver detailed sandstone repairs to the beautiful 1930 art deco heritage site. The building itself is registered on the Commonwealth Heritage List, and is a highly visible landmark in the Canberra landscape.

SOLUTION

PCB carried out vital conservation work on the heritage sandstone façade of the NFSA building. The building’s facade is grey-white sandstone from the Hawkesbury River District, and has a number of nationalistic decorative details, including carvings of goannas, frill-necked lizards, Aboriginal art, and frieze panels. Works completed on the stonework included resetting and replacement of stone blocks, repointing of joints, the replacement of glass panels, repainting courtyard windows, cleaning and hydrophobic coating of 1800 square metres of sandstone. The scope extended to the replacement of the roof mounted HVAC plant equipment, roof membrane, and localised asbestos removal & remediation tasks with all works conducted whilst maintaining the facility open to the public for exhibitions and displays.