A multipurpose hall for school, parish, and community use
Rubix supported the Catholic Diocese of Hamilton in the delivery of the new St Patrick’s Catholic School multipurpose hall in Te Awamutu. Completed in March 2025, the project replaces the school’s original 70‑year‑old hall, which was demolished in 2018 after a viable strengthening and remediation strategy could not be identified.
Scope and Project Leadership
Planning for the replacement hall commenced following the demolition of the original building, which had been a long‑standing venue for school and community events including productions, exhibitions, assemblies, and prize giving. Rubix’s involvement began in 2022 with a review of an early scheme that proposed integrating the new hall within the existing church building.
Detailed building and seismic assessments identified significant challenges and risks with this approach, leading to the identification of an alternative site. Rubix continued its engagement, providing full project management and Engineer to Contract services through design and construction.
Challenges and Delivery Approach
The importance of the hall to the school, parish, and wider community was a key consideration throughout the project. Close collaboration across the project team supported timely resolution of issues and enabled delivery certainty.
The project was impacted by escalating construction costs, requiring value engineering to return the design within the approved budget. This resulted in a reduction in gross floor area, including the removal of a storage room and a multipurpose space, while retaining core operational requirements. The design allows for these spaces to be added in the future should funding permit.
Construction commenced in September 2024 and was completed in March 2025 on time and under budget.
Outcomes and Community Use
The completed hall is designed to seat the school’s full roll of 275 students plus staff and also provides an overflow venue for large church masses, with live‑streaming capability. It supports parish and community events, with opportunities for commercial hire when not in school use.
Points of Interest
- Designed to seat the full school roll of 275 students plus staff for assemblies and performances.
- Provides an overflow venue for large parish masses, with live‑streaming capability.
- Value engineering addressed cost escalation while maintaining core functionality and enabling future expansion.
