2020 - 2022

Almost a century of exposure to the aggressive coastal environment resulted in some original elements of the original Bondi Pavilion being in a badly degraded and rusted state.

The Bondi Pavilion Restoration and Upgrade aimed to return many of the Bondi Pavilion's original elements back to their original architectural beauty.

The Pavilion was completed in 1929 to the competition-winning design by the architectural firm Robertson & Marks. It featured many unique Georgian Revival and Mediterranean-style components which have been exposed to weather, including balustrades, rear balconies, beach-facing columns and capitals and the decorative motifs to the grand rear archway at the Campbell Parade entry.

After investigation, it was discovered the much of the steel reinforcement within the original cast concrete elements on the building had corroded throughout their 90-year life in Bondi's harsh corrosive coastal environment.

Each baluster and element was individually assessed, but only a small few were in a condition to be retained. Approximately 70% of the balustrades to the beach frontage and upper balconies were recast, with the originals retained in situ wherever possible.

In the grand rendered arch at the rear gatehouse, the cartouche (the central decorative element) and the stylistic rendered elements of the archway were beyond repair. A similar process utilising mouldings of the original arch was used to reconstruct these.

The International Conservation Services team, working with conservation architects Tonkin Zulaikha Greer, co-ordinated making moulds of the original elements, including the central cartouche. These were then re-cast to match the original features with less corrosive stainless steel reinforcements.

Working on scaffolding, and referencing documentation of the original decorative feature, Artisan of Stone recreated these elements off site and then installed them to match the original detail.

All of these features of the building, in their original design, were painted the same tone as the building, the colour determined through detailed paint scrapes.

Courtesy Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects.