Dunedin Gasworks Museum chimney

The Dunedin Gasworks Museum had to close suddenly in mid-April 2025 when cracks were found in its 25-metre-high brick chimney stack, with neighbouring businesses also impacted by a potential collapse of the imposing 1880 structure. An engineer’s report identified that the chimney could be made safe by removing the top four metres.

We were on site within days temporarily bracing the chimney to protect the public. Within weeks we had formulated a methodology to complete the partial deconstruction safely and sensitively, with a team on site working from a man cage suspended from a mobile crane. They dismantled the chimney brick by brick, meticulously photographing, cataloguing, numbering and removing more than 40,000 bricks in the hope that it could possibly be rebuilt.

The job came with its challenges, including tight access, harbour winds, the limitations of a dangerous building notice and the requirement for both the workers and their tools to be safely tethered. Our dedicated team deconstructed 39 courses of bricks over three weeks, ensuring that all risks were managed and never compromising safety standards.