Gledhill's specialist heritage division took on the refurbishment and restoration of the disused Rose Bay Cinema for Coles Myer, turning the 1928 building into a supermarket with nine new luxury apartments above it.
"The biggest challenge for us," Derek Sidey of Gledhill, "was to deliver a modern supermarket with all the facilities people expect, such as aisle width and cold storage areas, while keeping the characteristics of the original art deco designs on the facade and interior."
Sidey says the job, which cost about $6 million, mostly involved restoration rather than replacement of the heritage features. Many of the existing fittings and detailing were retained, although Gledhill had to find a fibrous plaster manufacturer to custom-mould a replacement for the badly damaged main ceiling.
Gledhill discovered the footings were on sand and not rock, so needed to be extended.
The judges were impressed that Gledhill had achieved high standards in both major structual works and the sensitive restoration of heritage details such as the facade, the entrance and the original ceiling.
