Government House Equitable Access

In 2014, Kane was engaged to provide a new porte-cochere with covered walkway, two new bespoke lifts to accommodate equitable and dignified access to Government House, and the refurbishment of six rooms to the Heritage Quarters. The refurbishment of the Heritage Quarters involved structurally upgrading the rotted out timber supports and remediating the concrete columns from reinforcement which has passed its expiration. Kane’s previous experience on the “Old Government House” project gave important insight and knowledge into the key project deliverables, mainly the bespoke lift platforms, unique design aspects and the delicate heritage nature of the project.

One of the main challenges with successfully delivering this project was coordinating the construction program works around a fully functioning Government House and the official duties of the Governor. Weekly, and sometimes daily, coordination meetings were held between Kane and the Office of the Governor to program the works around formal functions, receptions and public access to Government House. Throughout the construction period all of the planned functions were able to continue uninterrupted by the construction works.

Access in and around the existing residence created significant logistical issues with the timing of deliveries and movement of materials etc. The nature of the project and obvious significance of the location drove a strong requirement for a high level of quality in the finished works. The attention to detail is particularly evident in the silky oak and spotted gum timber carpentry works. All of the timber selected for the project has been locally sourced and produced to create a strong connection for Government House to the state and environment it resides in. Also evident along the new porte-cochere walkway is the highest quality, hand processed and locally sourced Brisbane Tuff stone clad feature retaining walls. These walls represent a number of long weeks of delicate and intricate stone masonry to create one of the few unique stone walls of its kind.