82 | COMMUNITY Niche Modular: South Wellington Intermediate T T Kim Newth Modular classrooms a quantum leap Constructed in Niche’s state-of-the-art factory, the new classrooms – each 82sqm with additional breakout space – are warm and dry, functional, weathertight and durable. “We build these as one large building envelope in the factory and then pull it apart into modules that go on to the back of a truck that can be manoeuvred into tight locations, as needed. “ South Wellington Intermediate School (SWIS) is looking forward to a positive year of teaching and learning, after opening four new precision-engineered modular classrooms last September. Located in Newtown, Wellington, SWIS is in the throes of a major master-planned redevelopment to replace outdated buildings. As part of that, Petone-based modular construction specialist, Niche, was contracted by the Ministry of Education’s Offsite Manufactured Building (OMB) programme to urgently supply the school’s first new permanent classroom solutions. “Our modular approach delivers fast and efficient results – we build off-site, only spending a minimal amount of time on-site,” observes Campbell Sutherland, who coordinates Niche’s work with the OMB programme. “In this case, the directive was to supply four single-storey classrooms and a bathroom block under urgency. With the school’s roll growth and weathertightness issues, time was of the essence.” Constructed in Niche’s state-of-the-art factory, the new classrooms – each 82sqm with additional breakout space – are warm and dry, functional, weathertight and durable. “We used a pre-approved design known as the Manuka 2.5. It meets the Ministry’s Designing Quality Learning Spaces (DQLS) standard and all expectations around acoustics, thermal efficiency, weather tightness requirements, structural strength, low running costs and durability,” says Campbell. Niche is known as a volumetric off-site manufacturing provider, with 95% of the building completed when it leaves their factory. “We build these as one large building envelope in the factory and then pull it apart into modules that go on to the back of a truck that can be manoeuvred into tight locations, as needed. “We can also lift these modules over obstacles to get them in place. Once on the foundations, everything is weathertight within one day. Then the electricians, plumbers and other trades come in and connect the modules.” As Campbell notes, this approach saves a lot of disruption on-site and minimises health and safety risks. He says delivering warm, dry classrooms – on time and on budget – and hearing the feedback from teachers and students on how much they love their new teaching and learning spaces is hugely rewarding. “At South Wellington Intermediate, we had a lot of stakeholder engagement through the whole design and build, so the classrooms feature their school colours too, and reflect their unique identity and character.” Under the school’s masterplan, the site of the new classrooms, on the upper courts area, was pre-determined as the only logical place where they could go. That meant having to reposition the court layout, including fencing and lighting and laying of new artificial turf. All four new classrooms are accessed off the courts. Compared to school prefabs of old, these new modular classrooms are a quantum leap forward. “There have been huge advances in performance over the past 20 years; so much science has gone into them,” says Campbell. Niche is delivering single-storey modular classrooms for schools all over New Zealand, and the team is currently developing two-storey – and three-storey – off-site manufactured permanent classroom solutions that could be replicated across multiple sites, once approved. “What we’re trying to achieve, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, is standardisation,” Campbell says.. “It offers so many advantages compared to elaborate one-off designs that so often in the past led to budget blow-outs.” • Low rise buildings (up to 3 level) • Transportable buildings • Ground improvement • Decks/fencing • Landscape retaining • Solar mount systems • Boardwalks and bridges • Barriers/signage
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