122 | Reflecting school’s values Owairaka School & Stryde Projects T T Kelly Deeks Kings College A welcome boost to college arts offering T T Sue Russell COMMUNITY Ōwairaka District School has completed a major campus redevelopment that positions the central Auckland school for anticipated roll growth from surrounding housing projects, and delivers attractive and modern learning environments that integrate with the school’s landscape and values. Principal Sheryl Fletcher says the project marks a significant milestone for the well-established community school, which opened in 1929 and today serves a diverse multicultural roll. Sheryl has led the school for eight years and says this project traces back to major housing development work underway in the neighbourhood. “Three hundred state houses have been removed behind our campus to make way for 1000 new medium- to high-intensity dwellings,” she says. “Families moved away during demolition, and our roll dropped from around 550 students to 400. But in the long term the roll is predicted to grow exponentially and the Ministry has projected we will exceed 700 students.” Under former Minister of Education Nikki Kaye, master planning for eight new classrooms was initiated. This later expanded to 16, giving a net gain of 12 after several ageing prefabs were removed. Construction took two and a half years and the building opened in February 2025 in time for the school year. The new bespoke flexible learning space was designed by Ignite Architects and project managed by Beca, with Stryde Projects delivering construction. The two-block design protects the school’s distinctive tree line and reflects Ōwairaka’s identity as a Gold Enviroschool and one of the country’s earliest adopters of the Garden to Table programme. “We value our environment, our diversity, and our community,” Sheryl says. “Ignite took that seriously. They worked with us to honour our environment, making space between the blocks to accommodate a very special tree, and to give us a design that speaks to who we are.” The much-anticipated new Performing Arts Centre at Auckland’s King’s College is a welcome expansion to the school’s burgeoning arts curriculum. Named Toi Manawa, ‘The Heart of the Arts’, the planning and birth of the wonderful two-storey building, stems back many years, as head of performing arts, Emma Featherstone explains. “I’ve been at Kings College for seven years, and when I joined the faculty the project was in planning phase. We had secured incredible philanthropic support from donors within the King’s College community, and Andrew Patterson, from Patterson Associates Ltd, was on board with preliminary designs,” Emma says. Last year, Toi Manawa was named finalist in the Property Council NZ Property Industry Awards. Completed in 2024, the impressive building’s design and construction materials sits comfortably on the campus, in keeping with the college’s historical buildings, while its engineering and technologies are world-class and very much of this era. “It certainly celebrates the college’s legacy and its commitment to fostering the performing arts, both for the benefit of its students, but also as a resource for the wider community, who have very much been supportive of its development,” Emma says. Ōwairaka’s vision of Growing Great Learners is supported by three core values: kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga, and manawanuitanga, which drive both culture and curriculum. Garden to Table, Travelwise initiatives, and outdoor learning are embedded in daily practice, reinforcing sustainability and student agency from a young age. “Our values are well established here and that’s helped us navigate physical change,” Sheryl says. “This redevelopment gives us the capacity to grow while protecting what makes Ōwairaka unique.” Construction challenges were significant. For much of the build the school operated with half a field, no playground, and heavy vehicle activity on-site. Stryde maintained strict Health & Safety protocols and a structured traffic plan. The board opted against reinstalling the old playground, instead building a new natural timber one with Ministry and charitable funding. With the campus now modernised, and roll growth expected to return, Sheryl says Ōwairaka remains focused on its core mission. Toi Manawa includes a specialist theatre, dedicated music classrooms, a recording studio, dance studio, music practice rooms and an “incredibly sophisticated orchestra room”, a feature Emma, who is also the Auckland Symphony’s conductor, celebrates. Marshall Day Acoustics was engaged to deliver state-of-the-art sound engineering into the orchestra room, which Emma says creates a space that is a joy to conduct. For Emma and the entire Arts faculty, having Toi Manawa fully operational has breathed new life into the arts disciplines. “For me as head of department, I have been able to introduce dance to the college for the first time. It’s something that’s very important to embrace for those creative students. They need a space to exercise their creative forces – it’s just been the most positive development to experience.” Demand-control mechanical ventilation has been employed in all classrooms, so systems operate only when students are present and depending on the actual occupancy. The orchestra room, auditorium, and dance studio have separate HVAC systems, and they are deactivated if not in use. In addition, free cooling is implemented to both reduce CO2 levels and reduce energy use. Air-conditioning systems have spare plugand-play capacity should the layouts of the smaller spaces change in the future. ENTURE PLUMBING PLUMBING GASFITTING DRAINLAYING Venture Plumbing Ltd, PO Box 181, Clevedon, Auckland 2248 admin@ventureplumbing.co.nz | 022 307 5639 | 0800 32 10 32 | www.ventureplumbing.co.nz We are friendly and reliable, providing service to the wider Auckland area. FLOORCOVERING P R O U D LY S U P P O R T I N G KINGS COLLEGE 09 638 4949 sales@lovichfloors.co.nz 19C Edwin Street, Mt Eden PO Box 56-106, Dominion Rd, Auckland 1446 Showroom by appointment Flooring can completely change the feel of a commerical or residential space. That’s why getting it right is so important. We have over 40 years experience in doing just that; delivering a quality product to our clients. For all your carpet, timber or vinyl needs contact us.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=