Graceville Grandstand

Brisbane City Council

Heritage

The challenge

After we were engaged by Brisbane City Council, the Box&Co team embarked on a heritage refurbishment of the historic Graceville Grandstand in Brisbane’s south-west.

Our scope of works involved giving the grandstand’s original timber elements, brickwork and entrance a new lease of life. With rotted structural timber posts, hollow brick piers and much higher ground-water levels than initially indicated, this was a complex project – made more so by the discovery of sunken sewer drains and a need for waterproofing that met heritage approval.

The solution

Rising to the many challenges, our team were excited by this project  – working diligently to blend construction techniques from yesteryear with modern methods that exceeded the client’s expectations and adhered to heritage guidelines.

  • Repairing and restoring original timber components
  • Pressure-cleaning and restoring brickwork
  • Constructing a new concrete pad and secure new timber gates at the grandstand’s entrance
  • Providing temporary measures to stabilise the timber and masonry structure
  • Underpinning the remaining heritage brickwork structure
  • Hydraulically jacking up the external brick walls to close cracks
  • Infilling the removed brickworks
  • Tying the two structures together and replacing, propping and bracing with steel ties
  • Installing new drainage
  • Waterproofing the structure and grandstand tiers
  • Carrying out additional connection strengthening to the timber structure

The Outcome

Much to the delight of our client and the local community, the end result was a textbook-perfect restoration completed with care and attention to detail.