Repurposing Building to Create a Bright Future

Tucked away in the heart of Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, The TC Beirne Building is a fantastic example of how a building can be transformed from its original purpose to gain a new lease on life. Formerly a department store, the building has been remodelled, adapted and changed over the years, and in 2017, Inertia worked alongside Ashe Morgan, Hutchinson Builders, DMC projects, Buchan and BSE to provide structural services as part of a complete renovation that would create vibrant addition to Brunswick Street.

Josh Falco led the project for Inertia “This was a substantial undertaking that involved the renewal of a heritage-listed building, which has been updated numerous times over the years, meaning that we were dealing with a variety of materials, construction methodologies and design approaches.”

“Structurally we were required to create new floor plans and remodel existing spaces to incorporate what modern users want from mixed-use environments. Adding new services was particularly challenging as we were dealing with Brisbane tuff, a unique, hard volcanic rock that requires significant power to remove.”

“Those challenges are what we deal with on any major structural project; when the building was designed a century ago, they couldn’t have foreseen that independent department stores would become relics of the past, that retail would be changed by digital technology and office workers would want flexible spaces that they would use only a few days per week.”

“With this project it was essential to be able to pull the elements together and to ensure that they worked cohesively and met the needs of future users, and with its new retail laneway and premium office spaces the modern TC Beirne Building achieves the right balance between the past and future.”

Completing the building’s transformation is its list of new tenants which include Queensland’s Chief Entrepreneur, CSIRO’s Data 61, Advance Queensland, River City Labs and a host of tech start-ups.  Retail tenants also include Beirne Lane and B. Lucky & Sons.  It’s safe to say that a building which was at the heart of Brisbane’s commercial past will be central to Brisbane and Queensland’s future.