Turnbull House: Strengthening a Wellington Heritage Landmark
Combining modern seismic performance with careful heritage conservation
We’re proud to be working alongside Naylor Love and Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga on the restoration of Turnbull House, one of Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington’s most architecturally significant heritage buildings.
Built in 1915-16, Turnbull House was the former residence of bibliophile Alexander Horsburgh Turnbull and the original home of the Alexander Turnbull Library. Purpose-built as both a house and library, it remains one of Wellington’s most distinctive historic buildings.
Seismic strengthening and conservation works
Today, the building is undergoing a multi-year seismic strengthening, conservation and adaptive reuse project, designed to ensure its future resilience while respecting its past.
Key elements of the project include:
- Advanced base isolation seismic strengthening
- Careful conservation of key heritage features
- More than 13,000 heritage bricks sourced from across Aotearoa to faithfully match the original 1916 façade
- Slate imported from Wales, reflecting the materials of the original build
Our team is proud to be supplying a range of specialised concrete mixes from our Wellington concrete plant, supporting the technical demands of this complex heritage project. Our collaboration with Naylor Love will continue through to 2027, ensuring modern performance standards are met while preserving the integrity and legacy of this historic place.
Turnbull House on Bowen Street, Wellington, a rare purpose-built home and library completed in 1916 and one of the capital’s most significant heritage buildings.
Projects like Turnbull House demonstrate how our locally supplied, high-performance concrete can play a vital role in protecting New Zealand’s built heritage for future generations to enjoy.
As part of the seismic strengthening programme, sections of the historic brick walls are carefully raised from the foundations to enable advanced base isolation.
Remediation works underway at Turnbull House, integrating careful conservation with modern seismic performance.
Turnbull House protected under a full canopy while a new slate roof, sourced from Wales to match the original materials, is installed.
Banner image: Whekī or New Zealand Rough Tree Fern, Huia, Waitakere Ranges courtesy Phil Botha on Unsplash.
