Wellington District Court roof upgrade

We were engaged to give the exterior of the Wellington District Court a new lease of life, completing an extensive range or repairs, refurbishments and replacements of the tile roof, steel windows, lead flashings, spouting, cladding and rainwater outlets, plus crack repairs and a full repaint of the entire historically significant façade, right down to the coat of arms.

This was a sensitive live environment, with court proceedings needing to continue uninterrupted and judges often working until late. We completed the works from the exterior, with all access via a hoist, limiting disruption inside the building. It was also a tight site, with other buildings leaving little space to the rear. Building the scaffold from the top down on the constricted side proved to be an unconventional but effective way to manage this.

A Keder roof protected the building from the elements while we worked, a key part of methodology that enabled us to roll it over to the next area without dismantling it. We initially used white building wrap over the scaffold to encapsulate the building, switching to clear wrap to preserve the natural light in the offices.

Covid hit while we were on the job, and there were some scope increases as we uncovered more rotten timber around the guttering than expected. We limited the delays by re-staging the works and adjusting the methodology, finding efficiencies to ensure continuity of the works.

The result speaks for itself, with the exterior fully restored to its original glory.