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ABOUT US
Explore About Us
Practice
Spire Australia was established in Melbourne in 2006 to undertake work in places conventional construction methods struggled to reach.
The practice has evolved considerably since then.
Specialist access led to close observation of buildings. Close observation led to an increasing engagement with historic construction, materials and deterioration. That, in turn, led to conservation training, traditional craft practice and a broader understanding of how significant buildings should be investigated and maintained.
Today Spire combines four areas of experience:
Conservation
An approach informed by the SPAB Manifesto, the Burra Charter and the principle that unnecessary loss of significant fabric should be avoided.
Investigation
Close-range observation and systematic documentation capable of turning difficult-to-access parts of buildings into useful information.
Craft
Practical experience with masonry, lime mortars, roofing, traditional steeplejack practice and the realities of carrying out repairs on existing buildings.
Access
The technical and logistical ability to reach structures where ordinary construction methods are impractical.
Together these allow Spire to occupy an unusual position between investigation and execution: sufficiently practical to understand how repairs will actually be carried out, and sufficiently conservation-focused to recognise when they should not be carried out at all.
David Wallis - Technical Director
David Wallis founded Spire Australia in 2006 and remains directly involved in the technical direction of its projects.
His approach to complex work was formed well before the establishment of the company.
David's mountaineering background centred on exploratory expeditions in remote environments from Greenland and Alaska to Antarctica, Oman, Tibet, Nepal, Kenya and Peru.
The significance of that experience was not simply climbing.
Exploratory expeditions require the management of uncertainty: developing logistics where established systems may not exist, assessing risk with incomplete information, adapting plans as conditions change and accepting that ambitious objectives still require disciplined judgement.
Those principles remain evident in Spire's work today.
David subsequently combined specialist rope access and traditional steeplejack techniques with practical construction experience and an increasing specialisation in historic buildings and conservation.
He is a member of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) in the United Kingdom and the Association for Preservation Technology International (APTI). His approach to conservation is particularly informed by the SPAB Manifesto and the principles expressed in the Australia ICOMOS Burra Charter.
As Technical Director, David's role encompasses investigation methodology, access strategy, conservation approach, complex project planning and technical oversight.
He also works closely with architects, engineers and specialist conservators, recognising that the best outcomes for significant buildings are generally achieved through collaboration rather than by any one discipline working in isolation.