Marama Hall roof restoration

We restored the century-old Category 1 listed Marama Hall, currently used as a concert venue by the University of Otago’s School of Performing Arts. The focus of the project was to bring the roof up to code and make the external stone features safe while preserving the building’s heritage character.

The ornate roof features slate tiles, carved turrets and a crenelated parapet. We cleaned the lichen-encrusted slate roof tiles, replacing any broken tiles, and installed new cast iron guttering and downpipes. Works on the parapet were extensive, with the stone re-bedded and a copper cap flashing installed that folds down into the gutter. The new copper cap waterproofs the parapet in a manner that is in keeping with the building’s heritage.

We removed the Oamaru stone merlons on the turrets and reinstalled them with localised seismic strengthening, re-forming any missing merlons. We also exposed the original steel truss ends, removing the rust and treating them before replacing the stone. Wrapping up the work on the 320sqm roof, we repointed the external elevations before waterproofing all the stonework with breathable Aquellux S and repainting the exterior doors and windows.

A carefully considered waste management plan ensured there was minimal waste, with slate recycled for aggregate, the copper made off-site, and even an old timber ramp reused as garden retaining.

This was a highly collaborative project, with our team contributing their expertise from works on another local prominent heritage building, Dunedin Railway Station. We were delighted to hand the finished roof over right on time.