{"id":154840,"date":"2024-12-05T07:11:17","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T21:11:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railexpress.com.au\/?p=118134"},"modified":"2024-12-05T07:11:17","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T21:11:17","slug":"supporting-the-preservation-of-australias-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=154840","title":{"rendered":"Supporting the preservation of Australia\u2019s history"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
An example of heritage interpretation. A new station lantern recreated based on historical photographs to replicate the original. IMAGE: DTI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

DT Infrastructure<\/a> is taking a strong approach to protecting Australia\u2019s cultural history during construction projects.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

DT Infrastructure (DTI<\/a>) is committed to the protection of cultural heritage, understanding the importance of preserving sites of cultural significance for the benefit of the communities in which they\u2019re working.<\/p>\n

Geraldine Figueira is an environment, sustainability and heritage advisor at DTI, with experience on major projects such as Parramatta Light Rail (PLR). With a background in archaeology, hailing from South America, and living in Portugal before making her way to Australia, she has in-depth experience in protecting culture and heritage in various\u00a0countries.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce I completed my degree in archaeology, I enrolled in a museology post-graduate course, focusing my studies on preventive conservation. In a nutshell, preventive conservation refers to any action that delays the deterioration of cultural heritage from the effects of different environments,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had the opportunity to work in several Portuguese archives and libraries, helping them develop strategies to better preserve their collections and my passion for preserving heritage grew from there,\u201d Figueira said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came to Australia for a new challenge and my strong archaeological background was a natural fit for my role at DTI.\u201d<\/p>\n

Figueira explained that a lot of her job is compliance-based, working with a range of internal and external stakeholders. It can include identifying sites of potential importance to Indigenous communities or archaeological interest, buildings with cultural heritage significance, as well as other items that may have meaning in the local community.<\/p>\n

The process<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Figueira and her team\u2019s role begins at the tender phase of a project. They receive information from the client about sites of potential cultural significance and then decipher the best approach to preserve and incorporate these heritage aspects in the\u00a0submission.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to delivery, we start with the studies our client has access to, which give us an indication of what to look for. If further evidence is identified we then undertake several larger archaeological explorations before construction gets underway,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the case of PLR, we undertook an extensive campaign of archaeological testing for Aboriginal cultural heritage and late 1700s artefacts, as well as built heritage assessments, to determine strategies to minimise potential\u00a0damage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the studies and documents tell part of the story \u2013 that a historical structure used to be on site, or it\u2019s an area of cultural significance \u2013 we don\u2019t have all the information until we investigate in person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Design and construct projects allow project teams to adjust their approach if sites requiring preservation are identified.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the design and construct model, the results of our archaeological testing are considered in the project\u2019s design, and in some cases, it means additional digs are conducted to understand the extent of the heritage site and identify strategies to minimise impact. Of course we thoroughly document what we find, so the history of an area is not lost.<\/p>\n

\u201cParramatta is the second oldest European settlement in Australia, so it has a lot of European history beneath its very streets,\u201d Figueira said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore that, the land was occupied for more than 60,000 years by Aboriginal people. The potential presence of archaeological finds from both cultures had to be considered while delivering the project.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the urbanised areas of Parramatta, the team understood that most of the heritage to consider was likely to be European. However other areas, such as within the Cumberland Hospital Precinct, were likely to have evidence of the presence of Indigenous dwellings.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe actually found an extensive Aboriginal site that we were able to date as being 30,000 years old, which was beyond exciting,\u201d Figueira said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough a large area of the site was directly within the footprint of the light rail slab, we were lucky enough to be able to keep part of the site in situ, which means that evidence of it remains buried and protected underneath the light rail tracks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through the entire duration of the project, Figueira and her team worked with a wide range of stakeholders, such as City of Parramatta Council, Heritage Council of New South Wales, and local Indigenous community members, to understand their interests and concerns, and work together towards achieving solutions that, where possible, would address these.<\/p>\n

Working with internal and external stakeholders<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Figueira\u2019s role involves developing partnerships with the internal design and construction teams and liaising with the community in which DTI is working.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a role like mine, it\u2019s a balancing act between the timeframes we are working to and our obligation and passion for ensuring we protect any cultural heritage onsite,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are things we know we will likely find onsite such as drains, old road structures, even remnants of convict dwellings, but what we don\u2019t know is exactly where they are, which means they may or may not clash with our intended design. Sometimes we find that a site is much more extensive than originally\u00a0anticipated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more time we can spend conducting these investigations prior to construction, the more we understand the archaeological landscape of an individual site, and allocate resources as effectively as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

No matter how much preparation the team does before a project gets underway, they can never be completely certain they\u2019ve located every piece of cultural heritage prior to construction, which is why a strong working relationship with the construction team is so crucial.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe conduct regular toolbox meetings with the construction team to ensure everyone is aware of what may be uncovered when work gets underway,\u201d Figueira said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis effectively means we have so many extra pairs of eyes looking out for things that potentially have cultural significance. If you don\u2019t know what to look for then you can\u2019t possibly recognise it. So working as a team ensures we can identify the things we need to preserve.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe work closely with stakeholders in the local community, who, given their connection to the local area, are often quite passionate about what should be preserved and protected. We invite feedback from a range of different groups. The local council will always have a vested interest, wanting to ensure the region thrives, while also protecting its past.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team also works with regulators to meet the required conditions and ensure feedback is reflected in the designs.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, having a client that is also passionate about preserving cultural heritage and amending the design to allow that to happen is also crucial and enables us to meet the needs of most of our stakeholders. I think we were very lucky in that sense for the PLR project.\u201d<\/p>\n

Better construction practices<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Figueira explained that the role teams like hers play is so much more than completing archaeological digs and identifying potential sites of interest.<\/p>\n

In addition to working with the construction teams to ensure that any works will not directly damage heritage buildings, work being conducted in the vicinity of cultural heritage can also have an impact, particularly when it comes to vibration.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes we place sensors on structures like buildings and bridges to ensure that the work being undertaken is not creating movement that could damage them,\u201d Figueira said.<\/p>\n

\u201cProjects can require extensive structural integrity assessments to conclude what the threshold for vibration levels is for the building or structure in question. Usually, heritage structures are deemed to have a lower threshold, just to be on the safe side, but that is not always the case.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team at DTI is proficient in this type of work, with recent projects involving heritage-listed stations and other heritage buildings, where the referred to practices are commonplace.<\/p>\n

\u201cFollowing and implementing mitigation measures to ensure findings of significance and structures are protected is a standard practice for us,\u201d Figueira said.<\/p>\n

Reincorporating heritage<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Figueira said while it is not possible on all projects, it is becoming more common to incorporate discovered cultural heritage into a project\u2019s design. And DTI is always looking to find ways to celebrate the history of the community in which it is working by doing just that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is an aspect that we call heritage interpretation which can take many forms,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeritage interpretation can be adding an item \u2013 like an old station clock you are restoring based on historical photographs \u2013 to a new structure. It can also mean incorporating heritage elements from site into the project\u2019s design.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to use innovative methods to easily and clearly convey the details of the history of the site to its visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n

On a recent project, DTI had the opportunity to install old imagery of the station on vertical panels in the stairwell, which proved to be an eye-catching feature. Figueira said trying to be creative and fun with the possibilities means there are many ways to honour the history of a building or place.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, it is of utmost importance to work closely with the traditional custodians of the land and local Indigenous communities when including heritage in our projects, she\u00a0said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn recent projects I\u2019ve worked on we\u2019ve had great team members who had extensive previous experience working with\u00a0the local community and we were able to\u00a0incorporate\u00a0their history extremely\u00a0effectively.<\/p>\n

While DTI makes every effort to preserve the cultural heritage of a region, sometimes complete preservation is not always possible, and unique ways to ensure the history of a building or structure lives on need to be explored.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn one project we used ground inlays in the area where a historical structure had stood, with motifs around the site that\u00a0represented its 200 year history,\u201d Figueira\u00a0said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also were able to install a garden designed by an Aboriginal-owned business near one of our sites. They created a distinctive\u00a0space that reflected the heritage of the site.\u201d<\/p>\n

Figueira noted that while sometimes the work can be challenging, at the end of the\u00a0day\u00a0she believes the work her team\u00a0does\u00a0has a\u00a0positive impact in the\u00a0community.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur ultimate goal is to ensure that the history of our communities is preserved for future generations, while also enabling the construction of critical infrastructure that allows those same communities to grow and thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post Supporting the preservation of Australia\u2019s history<\/a> appeared first on Rail Express<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\"
An example of heritage interpretation. A new station lantern recreated based on historical photographs to replicate the original. IMAGE: DTI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

DT Infrastructure is taking a strong approach to protecting Australia\u2019s cultural history during construction projects. DT Infrastructure (DTI) is committed \u2026 <\/p>\n

The post Supporting the preservation of Australia\u2019s history<\/a> appeared first on Rail Express<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":1,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8834,163],"tags":[10376],"class_list":["post-154840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rail-express-features","category-rail-industry-news-australia-new-zealand","tag-rail-express"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=154840"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154840\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":154841,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154840\/revisions\/154841"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=154840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=154840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=154840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}