A Reclaimed Hydraulic Press Anchors a New Workshop in Malaga

A new mechanical workshop in Malaga, a light-industrial suburb in Perth's north, has opened with a centrepiece that turned heads during installation: a 1940s hydraulic press, reclaimed from a decommissioned engineering works in the Perth Hills, now bolted to a freshly poured slab of reinforced concrete. The owners, two brothers with backgrounds in mining fabrication and automotive restoration, spent eighteen months tracking the machine down, negotiating its release, and planning the structural upgrade needed to house it. The result is a workspace that treats the press not as a museum piece but as a working tool, organised around a layout designed for a new generation of trade and small-batch manufacturing.

Adaptive reuse of industrial machinery sits in an interesting place in the Australian design conversation. It echoes the work being done across Perth to reinterpret the city's industrial and maritime inheritance, from the redevelopment of the old East Perth power station to the careful adaptive projects scattered through Fremantle's West End. It also aligns with a growing interest among local makers in keeping traditional trades viable, a theme that has surfaced regularly at industry gatherings in the city, including the upcoming Wine in Design program, which brings together architects, designers, and suppliers in a relaxed setting. The Malaga workshop offers a tactile case study in how heavy equipment and considered architecture can coexist on a suburban block.

Finding the Press

The hydraulic press first came to the brothers' attention through a former colleague who had spotted it gathering dust in a storage yard in the Perth Hills. It was a 200-ton unit, originally imported for a tractor component line that closed in the late 1970s, and it had been shifted three times before ending up under a lean-to in Welshpool. "We knew it was the right size and capacity, but it was completely seized up," one of the owners says. "Half the fun was getting it moving again."

Over the following months, a small team dismantled the press, catalogued every component, and trucked it to Malaga for assessment. The cast-iron frame was sound, but the hydraulic cylinders needed re-boring, the motor had to be rewound, and the original control panel was replaced with a modern analogue system that still respects the mid-century layout. The restoration was deliberate, focusing on mechanical reliability rather than cosmetic overhaul. Patina stays on the casting; only the working surfaces are refurbished. That approach mirrors the philosophy behind many of Perth's recent heritage conversions, where the marks of use are considered part of the building's story rather than something to be sanded away.

Engineering the Foundations

Installing a 200-ton press in a suburban workshop is not a weekend job. The slab in the Malaga building was excavated to a depth of 1.2 metres and filled with a high-mass concrete mix designed to absorb vibration and distribute the point load. A structural engineer from an Osborne Park consultancy certified the floor before the press was lifted in by a mobile crane that required partial closure of the adjacent access road for half a day. Neighbours, accustomed to seeing utes and delivery vans, gathered on the verge with flat whites to watch the lift.

The ceiling structure also needed attention. The existing steel portal frame was rated for a mezzanine office, but not for the dynamic loads created by pressing operations. A local steel fabrication firm added cross-bracing and a new run of I-beams over the press bay to support a gantry crane used for die changes. Lighting, power, and compressed air were routed through the ceiling void to keep the floor clear. Every decision was checked against Australian standards for structural engineering and workplace safety, with the final sign-off coming from a private certifier who has worked on several other heavy-industry fitouts in the Malaga industrial precinct.

Key structural requirements met for the installation:

A Layout Built Around a Centrepiece

With the press in place, the rest of the workshop was organised to keep workflow logical and uncluttered. The press sits at the heart of the floor, with raw stock storage along one wall, a fabrication bay with welders and a plasma cutter along another, and a finishing and assembly area near the roller door. A mezzanine level, added during the structural upgrade, houses a small office, a break room, and a parts loft that overlooks the shop floor through steel mesh.

Natural light was a priority. The original building had a sawtooth roof with clerestory windows facing north, a common feature in mid-century Australian industrial architecture. The new fitout cleaned and reglazed those windows, added high-bay LED fittings for night work, and painted the walls a soft off-white to bounce light into the corners. The brothers were keen to avoid the cave-like feel of many suburban workshops, where trades spend long arvos under flickering fluorescent tubes. The result is a space that feels closer to a design studio than a greasy garage, a quality that several visiting architects have commented on since the opening.

Spatial decisions that shaped the final fitout:

Joining a Local Conversation

The Malaga project arrives at a moment when Perth's design and architecture community is actively reconsidering its industrial inheritance. Across the river in Fremantle, the old wool stores and limestone workshops are being converted into mixed-use spaces with a light touch, while in the city, the ongoing conversation around the Perth Cultural Centre and the new pedestrian links has brought fresh attention to how heavy infrastructure can be reimagined. Workshops like the one in Malaga, which prioritise craft and longevity, sit comfortably within that discussion and add a manufacturing voice to a conversation often dominated by residential and commercial work.

The brothers have opened their doors to a handful of local design studios, and the space is set to feature in an upcoming studio crawl organised as part of the broader design calendar. They are also participating in Wine in Design program, an industry showcase that pairs product launches with a relaxed evening of tasting and networking. For a young workshop still building its client base, the event offers a chance to meet the architects and interior designers who might specify their services on future fitouts. It is the kind of grassroots engagement that has long defined the Perth scene, where a shout for the trades is rarely far from the conversation.

Heritage as a Working Tool

Beyond the local buzz, the project raises questions that resonate across the country. How do you keep traditional skills alive when the equipment that supported them is being scrapped for offshore manufacturing? Can a small suburban workshop compete on price and lead time by leaning into the romance of heavy machinery and short production runs? The Malaga owners believe so, but they are quick to point out that the press is not a prop. It is used weekly for production runs, prototype bending, and one-off jobs for local artists, makers, and fabricators who need a 200-ton opinion on a piece of steel.

That pragmatic approach is shared by a growing number of Australian makers who see adaptive reuse as both an economic and cultural act. It is about keeping the tool of trade in the hands of the people who understand it, and about giving the next generation a reason to walk into a workshop in the first place. The conversation is not just about nostalgia; it is about ensuring that the built environment, from a suburban slab in Malaga to a compact apartment that uses sliding screens for flexibility, remains a place where things are made, fixed, and reimagined.

For more on how thoughtful design is reshaping interiors across the country, read about stair carpeting for pets and the choices homeowners make when comfort needs to stand up to claws and mud. It offers a domestic counterpoint to the heavy-industrial thinking on display in Malaga.

To experience the local design community in person, keep an eye on upcoming events and registrations through the Contemporary platform. Whether you are an architect, a student, or simply a design enthusiast, getting involved is the best way to support the studios and makers keeping Western Australia's built culture vibrant.