132 | BUILTsmart BUILDING T T Karen Phelps A smarter way of building schools A new approach to classroom construction is helping address urgent educational infrastructure needs across uckland, with new teaching spaces being delivered through an innovative factory-built methodology. BUILTsmart, which has secured a five-year Roll Growth Programme contract with the Ministry of Education, is demonstrating how its controlled factory environment can reduce delivery times and improve cost-effectiveness. “Our factory methodology of building the classrooms means we have full control of the build process due to the factory environment,” says Cameron Beverland, general manager of BUILTsmart “The advantages we have been able to gain over conventional build methods are eliminating weather delays, maintaining high standards with quality assurance, better health and safety, as well as recycling and waste reduction. The classrooms are delivered to site fully completed with code of compliance. “For example, we built and delivered 50 teaching spaces to the Auckland area from June 2024 through to December 2024, which included, two science tech, two food tech and two art rooms, so there were some bespoke aspects in the mix as well.” Cameron says a key benefit of the approach is the ability to progress building work simultaneously with site consent processes, effectively halving project delivery time frames and minimising disruptions on active school sites. “So we can be constructing the classrooms off-site and as soon as the on-site consents are approved we can deliver them. With traditional build methodology the construction wouldn’t be able to commence until the on-site consents had been approved,”” he explains. BUILTsmart ‘s manufacturing capabilities span three strategic locations across the North Island, with factories in Huntly, Feilding, and Gisborne. The recently opened Feilding facility, which began operations in February 2024, features 34 dedicated construction bays and will employ approximately 60 staff when fully operational. Its Huntly facility houses 50 construction bays, and a joint venture with Toiti Tairawhiti Housing Limited in Gisborne, established two years ago, operates 24 bays. Further expansion plans include a new 120-bay factory in Huntly. Cameron says the company’s growth has enabled even better bulk material purchasing, ensuring more value for money. A family-owned-and-operated housing company, established in 1982, Cameron says BUILTsmart aims to be at the forefront of revolutionising the construction industry. BUILTsmart offers around 20 plans or design-and-build options, with the ability to build up to 166sqm in a single level, along with recently developed two-storey homes and classrooms added to the library of plans. The company also develops land, providing clients with comprehensive solutions. PARTNERS:
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