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BEST
PR
O
JECTS
27
DECEMBER • 2016
GVK Siya Zama was awarded the challenge to restore the
Windybrow Heritage House in November 2015. The client’s
requirements were simple: the heritage status of the house had to
be respected and it had to be restored to its original splendour.
The project posted numerous challenges: the building was in a
state or disrepair and it had to be made structurallysound without
compromising its heritage status. With the assistance of a heritage
consultant, the project team proceeded set out to meet the brief
while ensuring the integrity of the grand old lady.
All materials used to add structural support were designed to
be as true to the original design as possible. Time was taken to
ensure that the new and old would meet in a genial amalgamation
of technology and old world ingenuity.
Timber features were restored to their original state using ‘old
school’ methods of repair and restoration. This posed challenges
and made for great debates on how the carpenters of old managed
WINDYBROW HERITAGE
HOUSE RESTORATION
The Windybrow Theatre was originally a family
home, built in 1896 by mining engineer Theodore
Reunert. It has served as a nursing home and a
cultural centre. Despite falling into disrepair, it
was declared a national monument in 1996.
to create such intricate designs without current technology and
timber products. Master carpenters were put through their paces
to ensure all timber elements were restored as well as recreated to
match the current to the last grain.
Timber floors were restored by re-using existing planks
and sourcing additional timber from the same era from timber
merchants. Great care was taken to ensure that the flow of the
floors was kept intact.
Pressed metal ceilings were restored to their original splendour
with the assistance of a local contractor who used the same metal
presses that had been used in the 1900s – thus new panels were
made using traditional methods.
Innovation and technology was used to enhance heritage
aspects of the building. An example of this is the wireless electrical
lighting system which was introduced as a way to circumvent
the fact that electrical cabling could not be chased into the old
walls. The wireless network introduced endless possibilities which
otherwise would have been limited in the heritage environment.
GVK-Siya Zama regards this project as a heritage achievement
and received thanks and praise from the heritage community and
the client on handover in August 2016.
Project information
• Company entering: GVK-Siya Zama Construction
• Client: Market Theatre
• Start date: 2 November 2015
• End date: 31 August 2016
• Main contractor: GVK-Siya Zama Construction
• Architect: KMH Architects
• Principal agent: Badat Developments
• Project manager: Badat Developments
• Quantity Surveyor: Thagalang
• Consulting engineer: Bergstan SA