As one of the largest heritage renewal projects to be undertaken in Western Australia, an iconic wool store in Fremantle has been transformed into industrial-style apartments that reflect the rich history of the site.

Located in the heart of Fremantle, the Dalgety Wool Stores have been a symbol of Western Australia’s wool industry since they were built by J. Hawkins & Son in 1922. Almost 100 years later, the brick and timber buildings have been lovingly restored by boutique developer Match to create 183 luxury, industrial-style apartments.

Known as Heirloom by Match, the award-winning heritage renewal project contains a mix of one and two bedroom warehouse apartments that reflect the historic and cultural significance of the building. About 85% of the original building fabric and structures have been retained, including century-old jarrah beams and exposed brickwork, and the building’s unique sawtooth roof structure.

Local mechanical services contractor, Triple M Mechanical Services (part of the BSA Group) was engaged by project builder, Built, to provide a mechanical services solution that suited the project’s heritage values while meeting the specifications of a modern HVAC design.

This design sees the exhaust for apartment bathrooms and toilets vented at roof level via 60 Twin Gamma centrifugal fans supplied by Fantech’s West Australian Branch, Systemaire. These are connected to risers that double as the builder’s work shafts, which have been properly sealed to prevent air leaks.

According to Triple M Construction Manager, Chris Sawdon, the design called for roof-mounted fans, however due to the acoustic impact on high level apartments and height restrictions for discharge vents at roof level, this design was changed. Instead, lined duct work runs across the roof from the duct work riser penetrations to the fans to absorb fan noise. Where roof fans could not be installed due to the location of the apartment, Fantech Ultimate header box fans were used instead.

Additionally, Systemaire supplied a number of JetVent fans to provide effective ventilation in the basement car park.

“We use Systemaire for most of our projects here in WA because of the service we receive from them,” said Chris. “The fan selection was pretty straightforward, but Systemaire provided a number of different selections for us to examine to ensure we achieved the best fit for the project.”