The Miles Lewis Heritage Building Materials Collection
The Miles Lewis Heritage Building Materials Collection consists of over 300 objects ranging from nails to roofing sheets, collected by Professor Miles Lewis throughout his career.
Used by the Architecture, Building and Planning Faculty in its teaching program for many years, the collection provides an insight into common construction materials and techniques in Australia in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
3D scans of the objects enable exploration of their scale and texture (noticing, for example, the thumbprint in one of the bricks) and trace the European influences on Australian architectural methods.
Discover the collection
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Bricks
Handmade, pressed, and extruded bricks. This collection includes firebricks, bonding bricks, fixing bricks, modular bricks, and shaped and coloured bricks, as well as accessories such as wall ties.
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Lime cement and plaster
A collection of core samples, casts and mouldings, wall samples, reinforced concrete and Traegerwellblech fireproof flooring.
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Decorative finishes
Examples of decorative tiling and wallpaper, including linoleum and paint samples.
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Roofing
The collection includes shingles, iron tiles, corrugated iron, terracotta roofing tiles and Marseille tiles, as well as terracotta ridging, battens, and insulation materials
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Ironmongery
This collection includes objects such as a bell crank, a ceiling vent and an ornamental cast-iron frieze, as well as numerous samples of nails.
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Browse the collection of 3D scans
3D scans of Building Heritage Materials
Explore the past, present and future of the collection
Professor Miles Lewis, collector and curator, explains the collection’s history, significance and future prospects.
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In conversation with Professor Miles Lewis
Professor Miles Lewis talks to Meher Bahl about the history of the collection.
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Investigating building materials
Learn about the ethical issues that arise when investigating heritage buildings.
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Brick burning
An outline of the history of colonial brick burning.
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Brick making
The individual characteristics of bricks can be used to identify how they were made.
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Specialised bricks
The collection features specialised bricks, including glazed, modular, fixing, coloured, shaped and fire bricks.
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Cavity wall
Different types of metal ties and bricks were used for joining walls through the cavity space.
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Tiling and terracotta
Examples of clay building products such as paving tiles and terracotta lumber are included in the collection.
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Lime, cement and plaster
Lime, cement and plaster were commonly used as exterior and interior finishes.
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Decorative finishes
Discover various decorative finishes used in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
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Nails
Trace the evolution of nails through their physical characteristics.
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Ironmongery
The ironmongery collection ranges from a bell crank to ornamental friezes.
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Roofing Tiles
Learn about roofing sheets and the process of laying them.
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Roofing
Roofing materials include bark, shingles, and seaweed and grass insulation.
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Terracotta roofing
Terracotta was widely used for roofing and ridging.
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Marseille roofing tiles
Originally manufactured in France, Marseille roof tiles were widely used in Melbourne.
Meet the Project Stakeholders
Discover more about the individuals involved in the project. Each of them brings different expertise to the project. Explore their stories and learn about the challenges posed by the project, their motivation, and what they hope for the future of the collection.
As well as the 3D scanning, the project processes included cataloguing the collection to understand its extent, creating metadata, and creating the accompanying videos and website. These activities give meaning, context and an enhanced understanding of objects.
This project was defined by three characteristics: curiosity, innovation, and accessibility. From being tucked away in a cabinet, people anywhere can now interact with and manipulate the 3D objects as well as learning more about their provenance and their historical significance.
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Professor Miles Lewis
Curating the collection and communicating its significance
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S-I Projects
Facilitating 3D scans of the collection using photogrammetry
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Restore conservation services
Objects, ideas and histories : building ways to engage with the collection
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Architecture, Building & Planning Library
Designing a digital collection that will inspire
With thanks to the Vera Moore Foundation for their generous support of this project.