88 | RTA Studio ARCHITECTURE New building blends seamlessly with the old Photos: Simon Devitt The carefully considered masterplan for one of New Zealand’s oldest and most prestigious secondary schools is beginning to be realised with the new administration building, and the campus’s new front door, providing a complement to the heritage architecture at Whanganui Collegiate School. The building has won its designer, RTA Studio, multiple design awards including a 2020 NZIA Western Architecture Award - Education Category and the 2020 Property Industry Awards - Merit Educational. RTA Studio associate architect Adam Dwen says the administration building is the most significant of the Whanganui Collegiate School projects undertaken by RTA Studio. An initial master planning project embarked upon by RTA Studio in conjunction with landscape designers Wraight + Associates included an assessment of the school’s existing building stock. “Part of the site where we put the new administration building had an old classroom block on its last legs, and it was cost-prohibitive to try to restore it,” Adam says. “As it had no heritage merit, it was earmarked for demolition which created an opportunity to develop an arrivals precinct, consistent with the layout and planning of the school.” The new administration building is the first port of call for visitors to the school and references rather than replicates the existing heritage architecture. Adam says this was achieved in two different ways. T T Kelly Deeks “We’ve played on the existing gabled forms by introducing three quite distinctive, double height gables conveying the significance of the original roof lines. “The other way we’ve complemented the existing architecture is through the careful selection of materials, in particular the use of brick, timber, and brass. “Using brick as an example, instead of sourcing recycled bricks to try to make the new building look old, we’ve applied them in a more contemporary way. “We’ve gone through a detailed and considered brick selection process, including the colour of the mortar, so as to provide a subtle contrast with the original brick buildings seen around the school.” The building’s main entrance has a large folded brick wall, creating a dramatic vertical entryway. Next to this, a double height perforated brick screen is coupled with expansive glazing to allow filtered daylight into the main reception area. Lots of glass in the administration building alludes to the open and transparent nature of Whanganui Collegiate School’s operation, as well as bringing the architectural advantages of good natural light and good outlook from the building into the school’s parklike grounds. The building completes a quadrangle, bringing an all important and previously lacking sheltered outdoor gathering space to the school. It has successfully captured the esteem and history of Whanganui Collegiate School, while also achieving a functional and organised centre, set to see the school’s administration through the next 100 years. The new administration building provides a complement to the heritage architecture at Whanganui Collegiate School. • Machinery Transport • Metal Supply / Crushing • Earthworks • Hydroexcavation • Section Development • Roading • Drainage • Traffic Management CIVIL ENGINEERING EARTHMOVING CONTRACTORS 172 Ridgway St, Wanganui | P: 06 348 9034 | A/H: 06 345 3603 E: info@loaders.co.nz | www.loaders.co.nz SUPPLIERS OF STAINLESS STEEL, ALUMINIUM, GALVANISED MILD STEEL AND ZINCALUME SHEET SHEET METAL WORKSHOP FOR ANY STRUCTURAL SHEET METAL & FABRICATION 250 TON 4.1 MTR LONG DYE BRAKE PRESS WATER JET CUTTING MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING SERVICES LTD Call us 06 344 4108 or drop into ELITE at 437 Heads Rd, Wanganui enquiries@eliteengineering.co.nz | eliteengineering.co.nz
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