The heritage listed Mayne Medical School is a monumental, three-storey, red face-brick building in a Renaissance style occupying a ridge adjacent to the Royal Brisbane Hospital. The project upgraded the mechanical, electrical, security, fire and data services to comply with modern standards. Additionally, the interior fitout will be partially restored while providing BCA compliant access standards.
This fitout project comprised a series of office insertions into the historical tenancy spaces. Consistent with respected heritage architecture practice, the original volumes were restored and new works were designed as contemporary insertions which “touch” the historical building fabric lightly. Integration of the heritage listed building and the new works was a key area of importance for the client and the architect.
The biggest challenge was upgrading the existing mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and fire services as there wasn’t a great deal known about the existing services and sifting through the extensive network of services to locate and terminate was an extensive operation. Replacing these now
redundant services and maintaining the heritage nature of the building was a challenge that was successfully overcome.