There is a clear reminder of how trains were repaired, with parts taken off the carriages and sent to different sections in the warehouse.

The Davey Press, a centrepiece in the building, has been retained, along with the H-style steel columns on either side of the tracks. Many of the smaller implements are arranged in new steel and glass cases.

The architects also retained the original foreman’s shed – Sutho’s office – named in honour of the worker. The faded bluish-painted timber shack, now used by the blacksmith, still features its weathered patinaed timber. A new steel display case carved into its side shows some of the many implements that were used at the time.

While the past has been fully integrated into the new design, a lightweight mezzanine level was added which is capable of being dismantled without interfering with the building’s heritage fabric.

“The former arrangement had a third level, but it didn’t fit comfortably within the roof space,” says Cooksley. Likewise, new skylights were strategically placed in the roof to provide additional light in important spaces such as the seating areas for the cafe.

“We were guided by the 16 original bays we inherited, creating a series of villages, with mini-atriums to loosely delineate the spaces, Cooksley says.

Loading

For the area dedicated to events and exhibitions, Sissons took its design cue from the handsome arched tiered brick windows of the Victorian building.

Although trains moving through the centre of the railway yards have long since gone, there is still a sense of what it would have been like in the 1880s when the yard first opened.

One clearly gets a sense of the weight that was moved around, given the monumental steel H-columns and the machinery.

Mindful of not wanting to detract from the building’s history, changes made to meet current fire or building standards were engineered with great skill.

One of the few major structural changes was the inclusion of a moving walkway that leads below the building into an adjacent car park.

“With these projects, it’s about finding the right balance – approaching the present with a certain amount of confidence as much as with some trepidation,” Sissons says.

The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning.