Registrar General's Building

The heritage adaptive reuse of the Registrar General’s Building will purpose the building as a cultural institution, focused on decorative and applied arts, that will be unified through a public domain that connects with neighbouring spaces from the Mint and Hyde Park Barracks to The Domain.

The North Wing (1956) and Records Annexe (1963) was demolished to reveal the building’s original form and fabric. Internal upgrades to the ground floor allowed for a temporary office which connects to the public domain, improving the historic office’s setting and pedestrian amenities, and facilitates enhanced thoroughfare.

Conservation works to the heritage façade were performed at interconnecting points between the wings, whilst ground floor upgrades saw the building achieve compliance with modern codes and accessibility standards. Additionally, the existing sandstone façade from the demolished North Wing were retained for future reuse on site.

Our team carefully managed the works between neighbouring stakeholders, including the UNESCO World Heritage site Hyde Park Barracks, which required delicate coordination throughout peak event season. The team employed stringent stakeholder management and live environment processes throughout demolition works, with five levels of demolition completed and zero complaints from neighbouring stakeholders or the general public whilst undertaking the works.

Focused on the sustainable reuse and disposal of materials, the team successfully recycled 99.44% of the 8,555 tonnes of waste material collected on site. Almost all material captured will now either be reproduced into quarry products or sold as second-hand materials. The project also encountered various contaminated materials finds including lead paint and asbestos. The team worked closely with Buildcorp’s civil subcontractor Metropolitan Demolition Group and consultant ASP Australia to proactively identify, test, and safely dispose of these hazardous materials in line with the project specific Hazardous Material Removal Control Plan and the Property Risk Australia Lead Paint Waste Classification process.