Doherty's Ruin
Location
Bunurong Country
Truganina VIC, Australia
Client
Private Developer, City of Wyndham
Significance
Local Significance
Completed
2022
Services Provided
Conservation Works, Building Conditions Assessment, Architectural Design, Adaptive Reuse, Heritage Permits
Awards
2024 AIA Victorian Architecture Awards | Commendation for Heritage - Conservation
Doherty’s Ruin in western Melbourne is one of the area’s few remaining connections to the past. Having been encompassed in a new housing estate, the developers were required to stabilise and make-safe the structure, resulting in RBA's engagement in 2018.
Constructed in the1870s, the building remained occupied until ravaged by bushfires in 1969. By 2018 it was in a derelict state and almost consumed by vegetation.
The permit conditions for the development could have been met by truncating the walls to sill level – achieving a ‘safe’ outcome by demolishing historic elements. However, with RBA’s appointment, it was determined to retain as much of the historic fabric as possible and take a longer term approach to its use.
Melding traditional and digital conservation techniques, and a thorough technical understanding of fabric and dilapidation dynamics, the retention of heritage fabric was maximised. An external propping solution was developed to stabilise the structure, a semi-permeable gravel apron was installed around it, while a lime-based mortar was used to repoint and cap walls.
The works have set the stage for the future adaptive re-use of the structure, and provide a striking interpretive feature within the otherwise suburban development.
Image Credits: Thurston Empson
