It’s been a busy four weeks behind the screens of the Commonwealth Hotel with concrete pours, drainage, wall construction, even preparations for air-conditioning.
Out the back of the iconic building where the site transitions from restoration work to new build, what will be the revitalised historic hotel’s amazing new lounge area now has the first of its new walls, which doubles as a retaining wall.
Building this wall created a gap between the new and old parts of the site, which has now been filled with a staggering 300 cubic metres of gravel via a mobile conveyor. Aside from providing a very heavy structural integrity, the gravel acts as drainage to soak away excessive water.
The site has visibly changed in the past four weeks as construction gains pace. Click on the flashing dots for more info.
On the rear wall, you can also see four pipes side-by-side. These aren’t your typical drainage and plumbing but are the beer conduits that will house the beer lines to the bars from down below in the cool room.
Another critical step outside has been completed in recent weeks, with preparation works completed, making way for the entry stairwell that connects the car park and lower levels to the outdoor dining.
From the stairwell near the amenities, you get a bird’s eye view of the progress down below including new walls and draining gravel.
With this done, scaffolding and formwork will be installed for the lounge area ceiling, ready for the largest concrete pour. Once this is done, the entire outdoor area will be a single level, giving glimpses of the new shape of the iconic watering hole.
The process for forming each floor is a logistical challenge as the same form boards that were used on the lower levels of the building are retrieved and re-used for each new level.
From the existing courtyard, you can see the new shape of the hotel starting to rise up out of the ground.
Inside the building, preparation for the air conditioning has started.
Gaps have been built into the heritage brick walls allowing the conduits to pass between rooms. Aside from air-conditioning, the interior restoration will not take place until the construction work is completed and the site handed over to AusHotels.
The old bones of the building make way for some new upgrades, air-conditioning.
Stay tuned as we’ll return to the Commonwealth Hotel in four weeks to see what else has progressed.
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