Kicking off the college’s development with new, world-class performing arts facility
The bigger picture
King's College has transformed the heart of its Otahuhu campus with the opening of Toi Manawa, a new state-of-the-art music and performing arts centre that sits alongside a revitalised Great Hall, creating a new epicentre of student life. Opened in February 2024, Toi Manawa bridges 100 years of historic gothic heritage with thoughtful contemporary design to blend seamlessly into the campus landscape.
Sitting on a two-hectare site, the building hosts a modern 250-seat theatre, as well as custom spaces for learning, orchestra, rock bands, dance, and music recording. With music at its core, the design and build has maximised acoustic, soundproofing and audio-visual superiority.
A combined act
Project managed from inception, the success of the project hinged on our ability to work collaboratively with consultants and contractors to achieve the College's vision for their students and facility.
A focal point of the project centres on the seamless blend of old and new. The location and appearance of Toi Manawa responds to the historical 1920s masterplan completed by Atkinson and Abbott. The school campus is laid out orthogonally around a curved main avenue, and Toi Manawa replaced a low-level building, elongating the site and bookending the Memorial Chapel to re-establish the spirit of the original master plan.
Toi Manawa demonstrates how thoughtful design can transform educational opportunity, immediately expanding curriculum offerings to include dance and drama while creating one of Auckland's most attractive performance venues.
Points of interest
- The flexible Flanagan Theatre was modelled on the Q Theatre, enabling adaptation from intimate speeches to full stage shows
- The modern zigzagging facade features innovative precast concrete panels with brick slip overlay, maintaining King's College's signature red brick aesthetic
- All spaces are interconnected digitally and analogically, creating one integrated recording studio with professional-level A/V specifications
- Innovative acoustic features include twin wall, box-in-box systems tuned for high and low frequency absorption, protecting against railway and road noise
