Iconic Launceston substation gets new lease on life

Residents of Launceston would have no trouble recognising the hydro-electric substation that has been sitting above Cataract Gorge since the early 1920's.

But closed since the 1960's, the iconic red-brick building had been left to ruin after offers to buy it were rejected by the owner.

Enter Mark and Karen Bartkevicius, who purchased the substation after the owner passed away, and worked for years with architect Sam Haberle to bring the neglected structure back to its former glory. 

With repairs undertaken by a heritage bricklayer to ensure the building's historical integrity was maintained, the result is a revived two-bedroom private house with soaring eight-metre high ceiling.

The restoration included removing wooden shutters and installing huge glass windows, installing a polished aggregate concrete floor that acts as a thermal mass to heat the living-dining-kitchen space, and wherever possible the original brickwork with its lime-washed patina was made a feature. 

"We tried to keep everything new super simple and super crisp," Haberle told Domain.

"We didn't want, or need, to make any statements because the building itself is saying so much."