Heritage Consultancy Melbourne
We offer a range of specialised heritage architecture services to help protect, preserve, and enhance Melbourne’s rich architectural heritage.
We can help evaluate the cultural and historical importance of heritage sites, develop thorough conservation analyses, and craft tailored management strategies. We can advise on design guidance for alterations to significant structures, restoration advice that respects historical integrity, and solve complex technical issues related to aging or damaged building materials. We also have key contacts and experience with local council planners, and Heritage Victoria representatives to help navigate the often complex world of planning.
What do Heritage Consultants do?
Heritage consultants provide advice on conserving, restoring, and maintaining historic buildings, sites, and cultural landscapes. They assess the significance of properties, develop conservation plans, and guide restoration efforts using appropriate techniques and materials.
Heritage consultants play a vital role in maintaining cultural identity by preserving important links to the past. They balance conservation needs with modern functionality, ensuring historic structures remain relevant and up-to-date with modern standards of living.
Our heritage consultants can provided a wide range of services, including navigating complex regulations, preparing impact statements, and facilitating adaptive reuse.
Heritage Architect Services in Melbourne
Heritage Conservation Plans
We can develop detailed Conservation Works Plans to guide restoration efforts, alongside comprehensive Conservation Management Plans that outline ongoing strategies for preserving and maintaining historic structures and sites.
Adaptive Reuse
We follow Victoria’s guidelines and principles for considering change to heritage buildings in the Victorian Heritage Register to ensure that changes are aligned with values held by Heritage Victoria.
Adaptive reuse is a form of conservation by repurposing an existing place for new use as an economic and sustainable approach to preserving Victoria’s heritage buildings. Services may focus on retention and repair of historic buildings, but also on the respectful new and added elements to a historic building to extend its life in a useful way.
Heritage Studies
Identifying and assessing heritage places through a thorough physical investigation of a place, followed by careful and accurate documentation, as well as desktop studies to understand elements of significance within the place.
- Historical research and collation of historical images, plans and maps
- Field investigation of potential heritage places
- Comparative analyses of similar places in order to understand the relative importance of a place
- Assessment of significance
Heritage Impact Statements
Preparation of all checklist items required by Council to satisfy the Heritage Impact Statement.
This typically includes, but is not limited to, establishing the cultural heritage significance of the place by assessing;
- Existing conditions
- Current use of the place
- Constraints and opportunities resulting from the significance of the place
- Analysis of the proposed works
- Alternative options considered
- Impact of the proposal on the cultural heritage significance of the place
- Reasons Council should support the proposal
Design and Documentation of Conservation Works
Design and documentation services for conservation and restoration works to heritage places, including putting together a conservation works plan.
Heritage Advisory Services
Consulting and expert witness advice for designs to heritage projects that may be impacted by restrictive controls in Commonwealth or state legislation. Wexhaus appraises heritage values against defined heritage criteria or guidance in relation to development opportunities and constraints.
Heritage Interpretation
We can assist in identifying cultural heritage that is significant to communicate to future users through various engagement techniques, while ensuring these interpretations form a cohesive element to the overall design, use and function.
Heritage Projects
We have been reluctant renovators from the beginning, but you’ve won us over many times with your ideas and flair. Thank you for all the work you have put into the design and concept.
Christina, Melbourne
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