Peter Spratt
SPRATT, Peter, AM FIEAust
Career Summary
On graduation from the University of Tasmania, Peter joined the engineering department of the Hobart City Council doing structural design work. He moved on to consulting firm Fowler and England where he acted as Kingborough Council Engineer two days a week. In that post he coped with the 1967 disastrous bush fires, cut off from communication and assistance from Hobart, using what Council resources he had in a commendable manner.
In 1992 he formed Peter Spratt & Associates, specialising in the conservation of heritage buildings.
Conserving Buildings
Peter has carried out investigations, reports and conservation works on over 1,200 buildings around Australia, and his services remain in constant demand today.
Peter has devised a novel method to combat rising damp. Also, where cracked walls were thought to be caused by foundation movements, he has found in many cases the movements are caused by wind loads on and structural defects in the roof. Correct diagnosis is vital for appropriate repair measures so that our heritage buildings can continue to survive.
Conserving Port Arthur
Port Arthur is one of Tasmania’s premier tourist attractions. Its four storey penitentiary had lost its roof and the masonry and bricks in its walls were fretting away. Peter commissioned materials testing which found two causes. One was salt attack; expanding salt crystals in the bricks exert tremendous pressure. Also, the bricks were under-fired (900 degrees when 1100 degrees were needed. Refired bricks were used in repairs. He found the sandstone masonry contained smectite, an expanding clay mineral to be avoided if possible. His use of materials science produced the answers.
Raine Island Lighthouse and Chillagoe Smelters
The 13 metre high Raine Island Lighthouse, built in 1844 on a tiny island off the coast of North Queensland, marks a channel through the Great Barrier Reef. Built of phosphate rock, the tower was found to be both highly eroded and undermined by burrowing turtles which can excavate a cubic metre of sand a day. Peter developed comprehensive measures to restore the structure in 1994 and supervised the work on site.
The Chillagoe Smelters had closed leaving a tall chimney which had been damaged by lightning. Called in to repair the chimney as a tourist feature, Peter found the surrounding soil was contaminated with toxic chemicals making it unsafe for visitors.
Conserving Bridges
Peter has been involved in the conservation of three of Australia’s oldest masonry bridges.
For the seven span Richmond Bridge (1826), on Peter’s advice, the Department has installed a vibration monitoring system to detect which vehicles cause significant vibrations before possible damage occurs. Vibrations above the set threshold are transmitted to the Department Office together with a photograph of the vehicle.
For the three span Red Bridge (1838) in Campbell Town, Peter noticed that the pointing between the bricks in the arches was falling out and some bricks were moving slightly as vehicles crossed the bridge. He designed a special grout which after injection filled all the gaps so that solid arches were re-established.
Community Service
Peter became a member of the Tasmanian Heritage Council from its inception in 1996 and served for nine years. His conservation experience and his knowledge of all the satisfactory sandstone sources in Tasmania were invaluable. He was chairman of the Works Committee.
The Australian Institute of Building (AIB) has awarded Peter a Life Fellowship, an internationally recognised achievement, awarded to those who have made an exceptional contribution to the building profession. The AIB said: “During his role as Tasmania Chapter President, Peter was instrumental in developing a programme in partnership with the University of Newcastle to offer a locally based accredited degree course in building and construction where previously local degree programmes were unavailable. The quality of the graduates was outstanding.”
When Peter joined Engineering Heritage Tasmania, he organised a series of seminars on earthquakes in Tasmania; water supplies past, present and future; and winds speeds in Tasmania, for engineers and other interested people.
Engineer’s Heritage Charter
The Burra Charter is the highly respected charter for the conservation of historic buildings and is used by State Heritage Councils Australia-wide. However, Peter realised that it did not cover moveable heritage or intangible heritage (eg new ideas and concepts).
With this in mind Peter has produced a draft Engineer’s Heritage Charter which covers all heritage where engineering is involved. The draft charter has been welcomed by Engineering Heritage Australia and is currently being assessed.
Awards
Member of the Order of Australia 2011: For service to engineering through the conservation of historic buildings, the establishment of an online Building Degree course and through contributions to industry associations.
Award of Merit 2009 and John Monash Medal 2017, Engineering Heritage Australia.
