In which I talk about mould and heritage planning

I think it is common knowledge by now that I live in a tyre factory (that's a simplification of it, it's just the admin wing). I guess that's fitting, given my interest in urban history and manufacturing industries. The building was designed by J. Raymond Robinson, who happened to be Frank Beaurepaire's brother-in-law. His work still stands across the west (including remnant sections of the Sunshine Harvester factory complex). 

This is an old photo from when the factory was still in use. The garden in the foreground is now a bike path. Photo from the Conservation Management Plan

Another one from the CMP, I like this and the cars in it look much cooler than modern cars

The house he designed for himself on Sun Crescent happens to be the ballet studio I attended for 8 or so years, which is a weird coincidence (obviously it became a ballet studio after he died). I remember starting ballet classes just before I turned 3 and being completely terrified by the sheer size of the house, and the wood panel motifs present in every room. It was unlike any home I'd ever seen before: there was an elaborate wood carved divider in the main studio (what would've been a formal lounge in the past) and an ornate bar with crystal-paned liquor cabinets and mirrors. We and most of our family friends lived in housing commission, so my idea of fancy was a working heater and a mould-free bathroom (this is relevant for later), not a California bungalow on steroids. Obviously my fear of the house turned into appreciation - I still drive past it sometimes and can't help but marvel at it, although it's been renovated since and someone tore down the lilac-covered fence and removed most of the trees.

Sorry about the poor quality image

Back to the tyre factory: living here is good. However, external factors of topography and ventilation mean we have a recurring mould problem. The lobby constantly smells stale, especially after heavy rain or during a particularly humid spell. My sense of smell doesn't function 9 out of 10 times so that doesn't concern me too much. However, after getting dinner tonight, we got home and noticed the mould smell moved out of the lobby and into our home. Turns out it has taken hold in the bedroom, which is exactly where it happened during Mould Incident 2013 after a rainy few weeks of winter. Having 5768435 of those plastic boxes with dehumidifying spheres helped a lot this time and it was only surface mould under the bed but it's still annoying to spend an evening scrubbing away with a mixture of tea tree oil, hydrogen peroxide and some orange oil carpet spray. Last time this happened, we got in touch with the builder who denied any rising damp problems and blamed the issue on a spilt bottle of water (plausible but I want to know the logistics of how one spills a bottle of water under a bed).

A quick search for more information has disproved that theory anyway. I found a Conservation Management Plan concerning the building, which notes the high possibility of rising damp if the site were to be redeveloped - would've been nice to know about prior to Mould Incident 2013. I don't think the fact that downpipes have been directed adjacent to the wall helps. The way the ground slopes means also that the bathroom and half of the bedroom have less than 30 cm of clearance from wet clay soil, so that explains the soft floor next to the bathroom door and under the bed. The original vents were also closed up and new ones created which are infinitely less efficient by virtue of their size and placement.

I guess this is the price one pays for living in a building with some semblance of culture and history. Of course, it doesn't compare to mildew-covered ceilings of our old HCV house in St. Albans, and we were able to clean it (which makes it slightly better in the grand scheme of mouldy things) but it still provides a strong case for not being lazy when redeveloping old buildings. At least now you know 

I also came across these buildings while looking for information about the tyre factory and I forgot how much I liked these two:

"Wimmera Stock Bazaar", photo credit goes to DoI

Essendon Technical School, now a TAFE. This one is courtesy of SLV

On a completely unrelated note, we are watching Fargo, as in the TV show, and it is mildly jarring. Film/TV equivalent of uncanny valley? I am pretending it is different to the film. Regardless, I like it when things are set in Minnesota because the characters always have ski boots and hats. That's enough from me tonight