Sessions House restoration governed by time 'IVQYHEƶW 5EVPMEQIRX FYMPHMRK YRHIVKSIW ER LMWXSVMGEPP] WIRWMXMZI VIRSZEXMSR his year Bermuda’s legislature marks its 400th year, making it the oldest parliament in the Commonwealth outside the British Isles. Fittingly, the home of Bermuda’s elected legislature is nearing the conclusion of a much-needed facelift as the first part of a two-phase restoration and upgrade project. Sessions House was originally built in 1819, and Bermuda’s House of Assembly and courts have been meeting there since 1821. Over the years a number of additions were made to the original Georgian building; today, that original structure is completely surrounded by these additions. Perhaps the most significant modification began in 1886 when members of the House of Assembly decided to honour Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee with the addition of a clock tower. This initiative ultimately resulted in the installation of the distinctive Florentine-style façade across the entire southern side of the building, complete with terracotta arches and details, a turret, and the aforementioned clock tower. Today’s restoration began in 2016 with a plan to replace all the windows in the building. That project has also since expanded into a complete restoration of the exterior of the building to include patching and sealing the walls, replacing the lightning rods, roof works, and restoring the clocks. This exterior work, while delayed a couple of months during the recent Shelter in Place, is scheduled to be complete by the fall of this year. Phase Two will see the administrative spaces of the building updated as well as a complete overhaul of the HVAC, mechanical, engineering, and plumbing
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at the facility. In a previous renovation, some of the windows had been replaced with aluminum versions. This time it was determined to return the building to its historic origins and revert to wooden windows. To this end, CNC Automated Carpentry was contracted to fabricate 99 custom windows of various shapes and sizes, all of which had to match the specification details of the original windows. Made of Accoya, which is a specially modified wood for stability across a variety of climate conditions, the windows took nine months to build using the company’s CNC (Computer Numerical Control) technology. Installation of the windows was done by Limestone Construction over a period of three months. For owner Audley Campbell, this is one several restorationtype projects for Limestone, including subcontracting to build up the pillars for the Railway Trail bridge at Police Beach and restoration of the footbridge at Fort St. Catherine. He says projects like these are interesting, and he continues to be impressed by the workmanship of those who came before him: “You can tell they were some master builders (at Sessions House). They wouldn’t have had the tools or measuring equipment we have today, so to see the joinery is pretty amazing.” The façade also needed special treatment to address the impact of Bermuda’s climate over time. Designed by Bermuda’s governor at the time, Sir Thomas Gallwey, who was an engineer by trade, the Italianate style and use of terracotta reflected the trend in London, despite the material not being BUILDINGBERMUDA2021
