An intriguing case of mortar bee attack is evident at the former Public Works Office, Bendigo. The building is now part of the Queen Elizabeth Oval Cottage in the downtown Bendigo.  Known commonly as mortar bees because of their propensity to nest in the soft mortar of older brick structures, these bees normally make their nests in banks of hard consolidated soils and soft coastal rocks. Each female bee excavates its own burrow to create a protected place to rear their young.  They typically favour walls that receive a lot of sunlight to keep their young warm. Over time, this activity by the bees can lead to structural damage.

Mortar bees

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Constructed in 1858, the former Public Works Office is one of Bendigo’s oldest surviving buildings.  Urgent conservation works, including works to address structural and damp issues, will soon be undertaken with funding provided by the Living Heritage Grants Program.

Public Works Office, Bendigo:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DATE
20 March 2018
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21 June 2023

2023 AIA Victorian Architecture Awards

The 2023 Awards ceremony for the Victorian Australian Institute of Architects was held on Friday the 16th June.

Several representatives from RBA Architects and Conservation Consultants attended the event, where we were proud to receive an Award for Heritage Conservation for the Prahran Arcade Façade Conservation and a Commendation for Heritage – Conservation for the restoration of Doherty House in Tarneit.

Additionally, we were pleased to see Searle x Waldron receive an Award for Architecture for the Joyce Chapel Bridge and Wardle receive The William Wardell Award for Public Architecture for the Bendigo Law Courts – both projects that RBA have been involved in.

Learn more about the Prahran Arcade Facade Conservation here

Learn more about the Doherty House Restoration here

Doherty House, Tarneit (Image: Thurston Empson)

Bendigo Law Courts, Wardle (Image: Tim Griffith)

Prahran Arcade (Image: Thurston Empson)

Joyce Chapel Bridge, Searle x Waldron (Image: Peter Bennetts)

 





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