Transforming a weather damaged school into a new, innovative learning environment
Beginning with the end in mind
This project was to replace a full primary school suffering from extensive weather tightness issues. We were contracted to provide a comprehensive project management service for the full replacement of the school which included 33 new classrooms, administration, library and gym within one 4332sqm building, plus site works, landscaping and temporary works.
The comprehensive process included conducting a full masterplan to identify the best long term solution, and demolishing the original school buildings to make way for the new facilities.
A staged process
In order to temporarily re-house the staff and students during construction, a large relocatable classroom village was established before any demolition works could begin. Challenging topography and ground conditions also meant extensive retaining walls were required. These issues were overcome and the project was delivered and ready for use in time for the new school year 2018.
Points of interest
- Developing the new buildings as ‘Innovative Learning Environments’ was successfully accomplished through extensive stakeholder liaison and Ministry input during the design process.
- The school offered professional development over several years to prepare teachers and staff for the shift from traditional single-cell classrooms to collaborative learning spaces.
Award Winning
The project was a National Category Winner and received the gold award for Education in the New Zealand Commercial Project Awards 2019.
