Built more than a century ago, The Sandstone Precinct includes two of Sydney’s flagship historical buildings: The Land Titles Office and The Department of Education building. These buildings were constructed in two stages, between 1876-1881 and 1888-1893. Since the time of construction, the buildings have been occupied by government bodies, used as offices and closed off to the public.
The historical buildings have been revitalised and are now apart of a luxury hotel development. The ambition required new engineering as it placed the existing structure under potential new stress resulting from changes of capacity and type of use by future hotel guests and visitors.
The challenge faced in this build process was that no original documentation was available – to provide a robust and thorough basis for analysis upon which the new development could be designed safely and accurately.
Witt Consulting played a comprehensive role on the redevelopment, providing expert structural & geotechnical services across multiple phases of works.
Being a building that holds such historical significance meant Witt’s specialist engineers were engaged to ensure the current state of the site was accurately assessed, materials investigated, and precise documentation and engineering drawing were prepared. The reliability of this assessment and documentation was critical, given the significance design and development changes proposed for this site.
With hundreds of CAD drawing prepared, and many more photographs taken throughout this project, Witt Consulting have reported the approach taken, details of access, investigations, findings, and thorough documentation of key structural components, such as steel framing systems, floor and ceiling assemblies, and critical load-bearing connections.
Additionally, Witt assessed and recorded the configuration and integrity of structural footings and masonry wall layouts to ensure compliance with engineering standards and architectural intent. Our engineers conducted in-situ testing of concrete core samples to evaluate material strength and durability and performed classification + assessment of the site’s geotechnical foundations to support long-term structural stability.
“Witt’s contributions were integral to validating the structural integrity.”
Witt Consulting distilled over nine months, a vast array of information, into highly detailed reports and drawings that were pertinent to the project in a logical and industry-standard format. Resulting in solid progression for the next stage of this build.
