Business Central February 2021

| 3 DEVELOPMENT University of Waikato “This campus was built in the 1960s and 70s and it has never had a social/cultural hub, nor a dedicated gateway onto the site for staff, students and visitors to pass through.” to page 4 A unique cultural hub for university Sue Russell The Pā at the University of Waikato will create connectivity to other spaces on the campus, and it will also be home to a new wharenui complex. www.ckl.co.nz PLANNING. SURVEYING. ENGINEERING. ENVIRONMENTAL. Working alongside our clients – delivering sustainable land development. 07 849 9921 hamilton@ckl.co.nz www.ckl.co.nz T he pathway guiding the development of The Pā at the University of Waikato’s Hamilton campus began in early 2015 when Professor Neil Quigley was appointed the University’s Vice-Chancellor. He asked an essential question: How do we bring the campus marae to the front and centre of University life? Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Alister Jones says the University had a long held aspiration for a new marae, but it was Professor Quigley’s new thinking that stimulat- ed the desire to expand that vision and create what will be the largest new facility, in terms of size and capital outlay, on the University’s Hamilton campus. “This campus was built in the 1960s and 70s and it has never had a social/cultural hub, nor a dedicated gateway onto the site for staff, students and visitors to pass through,” Profes- sor Jones says. Most importantly The Pā will create connec- tivity to other spaces on the campus, and it will also be home to a new wharenui complex. The need for a base for students to socialise and engage with staff and each other is reflec- tive of the modern approach to teaching and learning the University of Waikato is embrac- ing, where the traditional large lecture model is no longer considered best-practice. The Pā promises to transform the on-cam- pus experience for students, staff, visitors and the wider community. It’s a dynamic piece of architecture with a significant footprint, linking a traditional marae space to a carefully consid- ered student hub, including food outlets and social spaces designed to enliven learning. “There are other really practical factors that this welcoming space will allow for. “When you consider that the University calendar year extends from March through to October, a lot of our open time is through the winter months and this is where having such a large space for people to be inside will really come into its own.”