lowy institute for international policy

31 bligh st, sydney

Project

Lowy Institute for International Policy, 31 Bligh St., Sydney

Client

Lowy Institute for International Policy

Services

Buildings Conservation

Treatment

International Conservation Services carried out conservation works to the internal finishes of the 3 storey 1880's building at 31 Bligh Street in preparation for its occupation by the Lowy Institute for International Policy. Originally the NSW Club, the building has been refurbished for use as a combination of offices and function spaces by the Lowy Institute for International Policy.

ICS cleaned the original decorative painted finishes on the ceiling of the entrance lobby, as well as conserving the 1970's reproductions of original finishes in a number of the other spaces. An original decorative scheme was identified beneath layers of paint to the ceiling in the main ground floor room, but left intact.

ICS also conserved the original 'leather paper' wallpaper finish in the first floor room. A range of timber finishes were also cleaned and conserved, including paper panelling, door and window frames, and the stair balustrade handrail.

The work was successfully carried out on an extremely tight construction program, with multiple trades working inside the building to complete the fitout for occupation by the Lowy Institute in time for scheduled functions.

Builder: Westfield Design and Construction

Architect: Jackson Teece

Lowy Institute 1

Lowy Institute 2

Lowy Institute 3

International Conservation Services is Australia’s largest private fine art conservation business. Our main office and conservation workshops are located in Sydney, we have staff in Canberra and Melbourne, and we are able to work on site throughout Australia. We provide a full range of art restoration services, including antique restoration, paintings restoration, sculpture conservation, archaeological conservation, furniture restoration, conservation of works of art on paper, textiles and objects conservation. We work on architectural finishes and built elements in heritage buildings, structures, monuments and war memorials. We provide condition assessments, and carry out hands-on conservation and restoration work. We consult on issues of collection management, preventive conservation and museum planning, and have particular expertise in the management of environmental conditions in buildings housing collections. Our associated business, Smarttrack RFID, provides a range of asset and visitor tracking solutions for museums, art galleries, libraries and archives.