Improving an Icon
Russell, Northland

Renovating an iconic heritage building like the Duke of Marlborough Hotel in Russell presented some special challenges, but it’s these sorts of challenges we thrive on.

This exciting project included a substantial extension to the rear of the building adding a further 13 accommodation rooms, one being specially designed for accessibility. Further work was carried out to the historic waterfront facade with a new entry, balustrade and garden bar. With any historic building it’s important to marry the new with the old to achieve a consistent look that gives the impression of being original. Following that principle, timber was used for much of the construction work including all window and door joinery, with some structural steel elements where required.

Of course, with any building that has stood for nearly 200 years, you can always expect the unexpected. Strict protocols were observed when excavating the grounds to preserve artefacts found, and the discovery of obsolete underground tanks required involvement from the project engineers, but work progressed as quickly as possible thanks to our experienced team.