Heritage
Click here to see my published work on RMIT Architecture & Urban Design - Major Project Catalogue Semester 1 2024, refer to page 20.Legacy of Tomorrow
Supervisor: Adam Pustola (Senior Principles of Lyons)How can we breathe new life into a century-old heritage infrastructure? The Golden Pipeline Scheme, a 19th-century engineering marvel in Western Australia, spans 560 kilometers from Perth to Kalgoorlie. While it has served the region for over a century, it now faces the risk of demolition or decay.
My project focuses on revitalizing three key sites—No. 4 Pump Station, No. 6 Pump Station, and the Mt. Charlotte Reservoir—through innovative architectural interventions. These designs will preserve the pipeline’s legacy while adapting it to modern needs, ensuring its relevance and vibrancy for future generations.
The Idea
560km
6 hours 4 minutes at a speed of 110km/hThe idea for this project began with a journey to Kalgoorlie a year ago. Traveling via the Great Eastern Highway, I passed through city roads, country fields, and the arid inland region to reach the goldfields. Throughout the journey, a continuous pipeline frequently appeared in my view, accompanied by red brick industrial buildings standing at various points along the route. These buildings, despite their state of disrepair, stood out starkly against the natural surroundings. After a 6-hour and 4-minute drive, I arrived in Kalgoorlie, Australia's largest outback city, renowned for its rich gold mining heritage and industry.
The History
The road trip sparked my curiosity about the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme and its history. In the 1860s, European settlers in WA, unfamiliar with indigenous freshwater sources, often perished from thirst. Explorer Charles Cooke Hunt mapped Aboriginal waterholes, later called Hunt’s Wells. The 1890s gold rush heightened the need for a sustainable water supply to support mining.
The scheme, completed in 1903, transported water 560 km from Mundaring Weir to the goldfields via a pipeline, with steam pump stations ensuring delivery. Communities formed around these stations but declined as the system became automated by the 1960s. Over time, the scheme expanded to support agriculture, aiding the growth of WA’s Wheatbelt region.
Conserve or Demolish?
The Cocept
It’s beyond just water…
To be continued…