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Flinders Street Station
Movement Inspection & Report
Perhaps Melbourne's most iconic building, Flinders Street Station extends well beyond the familiar Swanston Street corner. The western facade is nearly 200m away from the spot where Melburnians might "meet up under the clocks." It is this end of the building, rarely visited nowadays even by the Metro staff who occupy the eastern end with offices, that was cause for some concern in 2011, 101 years after it was built. It was noticed that building movement was affecting some of the parapets, cracking both internal and external walls, and that during significant rain events most of the spaces flooded. Inspection of these issues involved visual surveys in conjunction with laser scanning and invasive coring and testing.
Ultimately all of these structural issues were attributed to long-term water penetration of the building fabric as a result of the poor condition of the roof, and the failure of the waterproofing. The most inaccessible areas also happen to be the most exposed, and it could clearly be observed that areas where the roof had been built over as part of the refurbishment of the busier eastern end were less affected. As such, a comprehensive repair of the roof was recommended, including upgrading downpipes and rainwater goods, to eliminate further intrusion of water. The cracking and other damage to the facade could be locally repaired.