Stunning Dennys Place transformation entered into MBV Regional Awards
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An unusual and challenging project delivered a vital new walkway
that has changed the way a thriving city moves.
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One of Rendine Constructions’ most unusual and challenging projects is set to contest the 2023 Master Builders Victoria Regional Building Awards.
As a commercial building specialist with renowned attention to detail and a versatile range of skills, we relished the intriguing
brief to strip out a decommissioned shop space on a heritage-listed site in central Geelong and turn it into a new all-hours pedestrian walkway.
Since its opening, this attractive feature space is changing the way the city moves. It provides a much-needed pedestrian
conduit between the waterfront area, including the bustling Deakin University campus, and the thriving Little Malop Street
food and entertainment precinct.
Our transformation of Dennys Place from a once-obscure cul-de-sac into a vital new arterial route has been entered in
the MBV’s Regional Building Awards for 2023 under the category of ‘Excellence in Construction of Commercial Buildings
($1 million to $3 million)”.
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We understand it’s the little things that often require the most sensitivity and that proved true during the demolition stage, with the worksite was located in an area of noted archaeological significance. An archaeologist was present as careful excavation of the ground floor slab and footings proceeded, exposing an old basement and a cesspit.
The fastidious process turned up only a few relics but for Rendine’s staff and contractors, treating the site with respect remained a paramount consideration throughout the duration of the project.
As the development proceeded, our engineering team worked to address significant inherent structural issues. This included repairing structurally compromised concrete lintels supporting the original shop façade facing Malop Street, as well as sand-blasting the façade to remove decades of old paint and signage.
Other works included stripping out the first floor of the building to expose the roof, cleaning timber trusses, exposing rain pipes, and installing new box gutters and skylights. With the historically significant basement required to be retained, we constructed a pedestrian bridge to cross over it. Original brick walls were exposed and scrubbed, lighting added, and our skilled tradesmen even recycled a number of decommissioned timber joists by fashioning them into beautiful timber seats.
The resulting all-weather, all-hours walkway is an attractive, low-maintenance addition to the Geelong streetscape, providing a vital connection that will serve the city for decades to come.
