Alistair Ravenscroft

Alistair is an Associate and member of the Purcell Technical Leadership Group which contributes to company-wide project delivery and technical stewardship. Within this forum Alistair strives to share a more consistent approach to projects by working with others as a central knowledge bank.

‘In heritage we’re trying to avoid being locked in a fragment of time, while still referencing a specific period and ultimately preserving a use’.

Based in Melbourne, Alistair describes himself as a ‘jack of all trades’ collaborator, working across all aspects of Heritage and Architecture. Within his role leading our Melbourne studio he supports our large-scale heritage consultancy projects centred around city shaping, such as Melbourne Arts Centre Precinct and Melbourne Metro.  He also oversees design and documentation of conservation, alteration and new works at places of state and local built heritage significance.

Hailing from South Australia, he recently completed works on a project close to his roots – the Bice Building Refurbishment in Adelaide which was delivered remotely throughout covid-19. The project was awarded the David Sanders Award for Heritage in the 2022 AIA Awards, South Australia. In the same year it was also successful at the MIPIM Asia Awards, being awarded ‘Best Refurbished Building’.

Eager to complete The Age’s daily quick crossword, Alistair’s approach to heritage and conservation reflects his passion for problem solving. Whilst studying and working as a graduate, he was exposed to Heritage Conservation through field work on the conservation and adaptive reuse of various homestead or industrial buildings.

‘Instead of a blank page we have constraints or elements you already need to consider. There’s an additional layer of complexity and hurdles to embrace.’

Alistair is inspired by collaborating with others, working with what currently exists to achieve the desired outcome. He is experienced in successfully navigating the history of a place and stories behind previous occupations to identify a considered, ecological sustainable next chapter.  Having worked as Architect and Heritage consultant, he understands both the technical aspects of conservation and heritage and promotes solutions that balance these with contemporary objectives.

His day to day project running is supported by his Post Graduate Degree in conservation where he studied emerging techniques and managing changes in heritage policy.