Work continues on the upgrade of an unusual development
of L-shaped courtyard houses designed by Robin Boyd (1919-1971) and located at Portsea, Victoria.

Each of the four identical units, designed for Mrs Imogen Farfor, has a private courtyard and an unusual verandah profile, where the roof is tilted upwards by a series of cantilevering timber props. Works designed by Lovell Chen's architecture team include the addition of second storeys to Units 1 and 2, at the rear of the site.

Boyd designed the Farfor houses (built 1966-68) when he was a partner of the firm Romberg and Boyd. His inspiration was the Kingo houses (built 1956) a complex of holiday homes at Helsingor, Denmark designed by Jrn Utzon, a friend of Boyds. Both schemes achieve a sense of privacy and community rare in tightly planned developments.

For more on Boyd, see .... Robin Boyd: a short biography

The four houses were conceived as four separate holiday houses. The balance of the site, including a garden and driveway, is common land, an arrangement facilitated by the 1967 Strata Titles Act.

[ photo: Hin Lim ; cross section: Robin Boyd ]

Lovell Chen has been commissioned to prepare a Conservation Management Plan for Hobart General Post Office — a large civic landmark and rare example in Australia of the Edwardian Baroque 'grand manner'.

The building is one of six GPOs erected in state capital cities between the 1860s and 1920s. All are prominent structures in prestigious locations, reflecting the importance of mail in nineteenth and early twentieth century Australia.

Dating from 1905, Hobart GPO was among the first major building projects completed in Tasmania following Federation. It is substantially intact as designed by local architect Alan Walker, including its highly sculpted façades, landmark clock tower and lavishly-designed postal hall.

Hobart's GPO was the only one designed to completion by a private architect from an open design competition, without the involvement of the Government Architect. It is also the only one still used almost exclusively for postal functions.

[ illustration: Alan Walker's 1901 drawing of the Elizabeth Street elevation ]

The restoration of the Medical Superintendent's house at the former Point Nepean Quarantine Station in Victoria has been completed
by our conservation team.

The large, single-storey house was built in 1899 and incorporates at least two rooms from the former doctor's house, originally constructed in 1854. The works included the reinstatement of the original verandah, and refurbishment of four rooms at the front of the building.

The Point Nepean Quarantine Station, at the western end of the Mornington Peninsula, operated from 1852 to 1979. It was subsequently used by the Officer Cadet School. The present Point Nepean Defence and Quarantine Precinct (H2030, heritage.vic.gov.au) covers 526 hectares, and incorporates the oldest surviving buildings erected for quarantine purposes in Australia, including five two-storey hospitals built 1858-59.

Lovell Chen is also working on a Conservation Management Plan for Point Nepean, as well as on-going conservation works.

[ photo: Fraser Brown ]

As part of works associated with the restoration and reuse of heritage-listed buildings at Melbourne's former Brunswick Gasworks, Lovell Chen prepared an interpretation plan for the site. The first component of the plan — addressing the former Craig & Seeley stove manufacturers' office building — has now been completed.

The Craig & Seeley building (H2026, heritage.vic.gov.au) was designed by Theodore Berman in 1962 ... see news item June 2006.

As well as our restoration and documentation work, we prepared text and images explaining the project and its context in the Brunswick Gasworks site (H2027, heritage.vic.gov.au). These have now been incoporated into signage panels designed by Challis Design, and installed in front of the building.

The design of the panels references the colours and finishes of the building, the façade of which incorporates original faceted enameled panels fabricated on site. Nearly 50 years later the enamel finishes are still in good condition, a testament to the durability of Craig & Seeley's products.

[ photos: Peter Lovell ]