| 103 T T Ange Davidson ‘Modest, unassuming building’ wins award Early education centre New Shoots Ramarama has been awarded the Auckland Architecture Award for Education by the New Zealand Institute of Architects. An early childhood education centre at the heart of a new sub-division in South Auckland has been awarded the uckland Architecture Award for Education by the New Zealand Institute of Architects. New Shoots Ramarama is a light-filled and innovative building designed by Copeland Associates Architects, an Auckland architecture firm that specialises in education and community architecture. The early education centre’s design needed to provide enough interior teaching spaces, external play areas and car parking to meet the exacting specialist’s brief and detailed legislative and licensing requirements for early childhood education. Project architect, Tuhiena Bhaumik says that while there were stringent resource consent conditions there were no immediate existing neighbours to the site which was an advantage as noise is usually an issue with early childhood education centres (ECEC). The site is surrounded by roads on all three sides which act as a noise buffer. “We needed to maximise space on a triangular site and to use this efficiently. For an early childhood centre, we generally divide the site into three sections with the building in the middle. The car parking is on one side towards the ‘grown-up’ and administrative spaces, and the external play area on the other,” says Tuhiena. “We mitigated boundary yard setback infringements with permeable fencing and softened with dense planting, while the building’s form kept the project in scale with the neighbourhood. Its exterior is clad in vertical metal and timber with the timber stained a deep purple hue for contrast with the metal.” To create more space for the children’s play area, the wall facing the play area was stepped back to provide more decking space which is covered by a translucent roof for diffused natural light. V-shaped pilasters, or structural columns, supporting the roof have a seat built into the tip of the V for teachers and children to sit and interact with the building materials. The building has an open aspect on all sides, all with generous verandas for sheltered all-weather play areas. The interior finishes are a mix of timber, plywood and concrete with exposed steel trusses, wooden beams, high ceilings and acoustic panels. There is a natural feel to the interiors that comes from the textures of the building materials. ARCHITECTURE Copeland Associates “We wanted the building to be a feeling tool for the kids, both physically and visually, that allows them to understand the different building materials used,” says Tuhiena. Specialist interiors by New Shoots include child-friendly versions of adult living areas to acquaint children with learning for the home environment. Soft furnishings are neutral in colour and specialist toys designed to appeal to children and promote wellbeing are part of the mix. “New Shoots like to have the kitchen near the main entrance so kids are welcomed by the aroma of freshly cooked food when they arrive, creating a welcoming and homely feel,” believes Tuhiena. Copeland Associates Architects has designed several early childhood education centres and have more in the pipeline. While the firm does some residential, the focus has been on public spaces in recent years. Judges at the NZIA Awards 2023 commented that simple design solutions at New Shoots Ramarama consider learning from the point of view of children and how they navigate their environment. They also pointed out that while the building is modest and unassuming, the early learning childcare centre provides an essential community facility for a new housing development. 0508 BASEUP / 021 667 149 Office: 89A Station Rd, Penrose, Auckland www.baseup.co.nz Brendon@baseupauckland.co.nz BaseUp is a contracting provider that offers an impressive range of services and expertise to the residential and commercial sectors, allowing us to be the go-to, one stop shop for all foundations, concrete, landscaping & earthworks. We have locations in Auckland, Tauranga and Hamilton, plus support from an impressive network of contractors, enabling us to deliver on thousands of projects throughout Auckland, the Bay of Plenty and the Waikato. Foundations • Landscaping • Concrete
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