Being awarded with the restoration of the Astra at Bondi was a very positive start to the year for the rope access team. Right across the road from the legendary Bondi IceBergs, this building is an icon. And what a history this place has.
Now a very exclusive over 55s retirement complex and what a place to be. Anyone talking about the good old times when the bar was open and the Bondi Icebergs raged really are showing their age.
Bondi residents took a petition to Waverley Council complaining that the Astra patrons were habitually disturbing the neighborhood. The council in turn took it to the Metropolitan Licensing Board, and after lengthy hearings the Astra submitted a development application to become a retirement village. On 22nd October 1984 Bondi Beach Astra Retirement Village was opened by Mr. John Brown, Minister for Sport, Recreation and Tourism. These days, the building hosts a thriving community of over 55-year olds who love to take advantage of its fabulous Bondi location and rich heritage. Ref: https://www.bondiastra.com.au/history
Our challenge for this project, other than battling the wild and ever changing weather conditions of this ocean front location, was how to keep the work rolling along with the restaurant open with footpath dining and a very busy footpath indeed with surfers and international travelers from all walks. Let alone how to concentrate, on so many days when the surf was absolutely pumping in right there behind us as we faced the walls with our brushes and rollers in hand.
The coating chosen for this project was a Dulux Elastomeric Membrane Coating. With much consultation prior to the commencement of the works, the owners decided to go ahead with this system due to the high weather strength and UV protection that this coating provided. The Dulux Team are very strong in the Sydney area and their support has been invaluable on this and so many other projects for these extreme types of locations.
Without a doubt, and despite the building being well maintained to date, that time spent on surface preparation is a vital investment indeed. A coating is only as good as the prepared surface that it is going onto. With careful cleaning out of any cracks in the surfaces, the correct products used for filling and patching as needed, priming the surfaces and then seeing that first coat flow onto the wall, is a feeling of production that any good tradie can recognise.
