Bygone Beautys Treasured Tea Pot Museum
Bygone Beautys is an iconic building in Leura and is home to the world’s largest private collection of tea pots and tea wares. Located close to the famous Leura Village Mall in the picturesque Blue Mountains, the original circa 1917 building was renovated to create a new museum space which better showcases the large collection. As a major tourist destination, it was essential that the tearooms remained operational throughout the complex works. A significant amount of demolition materials were to be re-used back into the project to maintain the charm of the building. This was not only achieved with no incidents (and no teapot breakages!) but also exceeded all client expectations.
- Reuse of demolition materials from this project as much as possible, including cornices, floor boards, windows, paving, timber beams and joinery
- Demolition was done mostly by hand to enable reuse and recycling
- The control of dust was important between the work area and public spaces
- Low VOC paints were used
- Natural finished elements and use of recycled materials where possible
The fantastic work in refurbishing this building while maintaining its original heritage charm and remaining environmentally friendly throughout, saw us take top prize in two categories – Refurbishment/renovation/extension up to $2 million and Excellence in Environmental Management up to $10 million
The Leura Garage
This project involved the transformation of a heritage mechanic’s workshop into an environmentally sustainable restaurant-wine bar.
It required significant dedication from the building team, with a strong understanding and commitment to environmental principles and close collaboration with certifying authorities to transform the site from a neglected, contaminated garage into a vibrant restaurant space. Prior to construction, the area required remediation with input from the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and Blue Mountains City Council. The result is a quality refurbished restaurant that surpasses environmental standards and client expectations, finished with professional craftsmanship and attention to detail. (2011 MBA Awards – Judges’ comments)
Key sustainable features of Leura Garage include:
- Historic mechanic’s hoist retained and restored as a wine display rack
- Installation of water tanks
- Use of 10kW photovoltaic solar
- Gas-boosted solar hot water system for kitchen use and hydronic in-floor heating
- Skylights for natural light
- Around 94% of construction waste either recycled or reused, with only 6% going to landfill.
Our construction of the popular restaurant-wine bar, “Leura Garage”, in Leura, saw us take top prize in two categories – ‘Refurbishment / Renovation / Extension up to $5 million’ and ‘Resource Efficiency’.