October 7 2010
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh recently opened the Laing O’Rourke-built $8 million National Carriage Factory at the Cobb+Co Museum in Toowoomba, Queensland.
Premier Bligh said the National Carriage Factory would ensure Queensland's traditional heritage skills and trades were carried on into the future.
"Housed within the Cobb+Co Museum, the factory will serve as Queensland's first nationally accredited training facility for trades that are in danger of being lost, not only to Australia but also internationally, such as blacksmithing, lead-lighting and leather work,” Premier Bligh said.
Laing O’Rourke Project Engineer Michael Little said the Cobb+Co Museum extension was a high-profile project for the Toowoomba region, as the museum was one of the city’s major tourist attractions.
“It was essential for Laing O’Rourke to minimise any impacts that the redevelopment would have on the existing museum, including maintaining uninterrupted public access throughout the 12-month project,” he said.
“The building itself makes a bold architectural statement with curved blockwork feature walls and curved raking ceilings, while incorporating historic features including a timber shingle roof and the erection of a fully functioning wind power generator that feeds into the solar power generation grid.”
Site Manager Stephen Hickling said the shingle roof at the top of the teaching patio was one of the challenges Laing O’Rourke faced while constructing the building.
“The roof was constructed using timber shingles, each hand cut from furniture grade mahogany,” Stephen said.
“We hand nailed and installed 4000 shingles in the same way the pioneers would have done in the 1800s – a task that took two and a half weeks for our tradesmen and apprentice carpenters to complete. “
Member for Toowoomba North Kerry Shine said the Cobb+Co Museum expansion was a key infrastructure development for the Toowoomba region.
"The Cobb+Co Museum is already a great tourist destination and now through the addition of the factory, I expect it to become a major cultural tourist attraction for the Toowoomba region," Mr Shine said.
The Museum features a purpose-built, open plan factory for workshops with accredited heritage training programs in specialties such as heritage building, blacksmithing, silversmithing, and equine trades, catering for secondary school traineeships through to adult learners.
Caption: Queensland Museum Board Chair Professor Peter Swannell and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh officially open the Cobb+Co Museum in Toowoomba.
