The fabric of the ropeworks as a whole poses complex issues, as the site has been heavily altered since construction began in 1912. The industrial complex consists of a disjointed set of repetitive largely-brick buildings accumulated over time, up to the 1960s. Restoration was not a possibility, and the removal of hazardous material is part of the works. The heritage buildings are in the centre of the site, with the retained rope walk to the north.

The pre-start heritage permit conditions for the whole site required the production of an archival photographic record (undertaken by Hin Lim), an oral history, a machinery and signage audit and an interpretation plan. These were all completed by August 2017.

Building 14 was the first of the ropeworks buildings to be adapted for reuse — two storeys, red brick and dating from the 1940s. It was originally constructed ‘inside’ three other buildings, with unrelated uses on each floor. The upper level has an unusual truss roof arrangement with suspended lantern glazing, no windows and wide column-free space. We adapted the interior to base fit-out and completed modest conservation works to the exterior. It was a process of discovery, finding older building features and structure as work progressed. We also supervised load testing of existing floors and timber structure, and seismic upgrades.

Work on this project is ongoing.