The Atrium Gallery

Extending over seven floors the new atrium will open up the grade 1 listed Old College, providing easy access at all levels for the very first time in its 160-year history. At the beginning of April, the work reached ground level and these images catch the journey to this point.

A view of the old Estates Building (white), looking towards Pier Street, prior to demolition.
Work on the Georgian villas as seen from King Street.
Scaffold removal at the rear of the Georgian villas.
Preparation works to piling mat.
Piling mat completion and testing.
Commencement of contiguous piling.
Piling Operation.
Commencement of excavation of basement.
Commencement of excavation of basement.
Exposing top of piles as preparation works to construct pile capping beam.
Shotcrete being applied to Cambria wall due to structural stability of masonry below previous ground level.
Shotcrete operation.
Underpinning of villas foundations to enable further excavation of the basement to the required level.
Underpinning Cambria building.
Underpinning of Villas foundations continue.
Full excavation of basement.
Excavating remainder of material.
Marking the completion of the excavation of the atrium site – November 2024.
Commencing reinforcement for basement slab.
Pour of high-level basement concrete slab.
Reinforcement to basement walls.
Reinforcement continues to basement walls.
Deck and reinforcement for ground floor slab.
Members of Andrew Scott LTD, Principal Contractor on the Old College Project, and sub-contractor M&C Civils, mark the completion of the atrium’s ground floor concrete slab – April 2025.