Conservation Management Plans
Possession of a well-researched and clearly written Conservation Management Plan that balances the heritage needs of a site and its owners is a valuable tool in the conservation, management and development of any heritage site.
Restoration Services
We offer a range of services from advice through restoration to project management, and can advise regarding the desalination of salt-affected brick- and stonework.
Agricultural & Industrial Heritage
As a country practice we have a sound understanding of, and appreciation for, Australia's agricultural and industrial heritage and offer a range of advisory servces in these areas.
Archival Site Recording and Archaeological Surveys
We offer a full range of archaeological survey and site recording services from simple pre restoration photography and data collection for households to full archival recording to comply with planning requirements.
Conservation Management Plans
Minerva Heritage have prepared a number of Conservation Management Plans (CMPs) for sites on the Victorian Heritage Register or under local heritage overlays.
Examples of our work include:
All Saint's Anglican Church School and Master's Residence Bendigo, Conservation Management Plan
Fortuna Villa Conservation Management Plan Review 2016
In some cases a full CMP is not required, in these cases we have provided documents that have explained the history of the site, its significance, its current condition, recommendations for required restorative works and ongoing maintenance schedules or any combination of the above.
If you own or manage a heritage property please call or email us us to discuss any issues you have.
Desalination of Brick and Stone
Captive Head Washing is a method for cleaning debris and pollution from unpainted masonry systems and removing salts that have accumulated in the masonry substrate.
The system is composed of a high vacuum vacuum pump connected to a collection tank by a flexible hose (around 50mm in diameter) with a further similar hose from the collection tank to a specially designed stainless steel head. Also connected to the head is a water line supplying town pressure water to the head. The head is divided into two halves. the upper is connected to the vacuum line, the lower is fitted with a misting nozzle connected to the water supply, which is controlled by a hand operated valve at the head. The two sections are physically separated in the head by a stainless steel divider fitted with a bristle brush, To allow an airtight connection between the tool and surface a soft rubber sleeve is fitted to the end of the head.
In operation water is sprayed onto the pre wetted surface as the head passes slowly over it where it is absorbed into the brick or stone where it dissolves soluble salts in the area. The high vacuum them draws the salt rich water from the substrate. A sample of the water is from the collection tank is collected and its dissolved salt content established using a calibrated Electrical Conductivity (EC) Meter. The process is repeated until the results from the testing reduce to an acceptable level.
Research is ongoing but it has been found that the system effectively removed soluble salts from up to 80mm into common early brickwork. This is the area of highest concentration of soluble salt found when testing bricks of this type. As well as being effective the system has the advantage of being quick and the effectiveness can be confirmed by the operator in real time. The other common salt removal process, poulticing, requires the poultice to be left on the surface for up to 14 days per application before its effectiveness can be assessed in a laboratory and it generally requires two applications.
To discuss this issue and for information on available contractors please call or email us.