Business North May 2021

102 | 0800 345 789 cutsplumbinggas.co.nz info@cutts.co.nz OUR SERVICES Gas hot water • Hot water cylinders • Leak detection Tapware • Waste disposals • Gas hob & cookers Blocked drains • Spouting & downpipes Water filtration • Backflow prevention • Home heating AUCKLAND PLUMBING, GAS, DRAINAGE, HEATING & BATHROOM SPECIALISTS BUILDING Woodview Construction New era looms for Birkenhead Sue Russell In total, the new teaching areas extend over 1146sqm and administration, office and staff spaces of 182sqm. B irkenhead Primary School Principal Bev- an Verry knows just what it will mean for the school to have new teaching/learn- ing and administration spaces. “It’s going to really open up new collabo- rative and dynamic ways for our teachers to deliver learning to our students. “We’re thrilled that this project, many years in the planning is soon going to be complet- ed,” Bevan says. He arrived as the new principal in 2019, the year the school celebrated its centenary. With a collection of portable classrooms and a building that had been the school’s home for generation upon generation, it seems only fitting that early in its second 100 years the school would welcome, very modern and carefully thought-through classrooms. Transitioning from the traditional single-cell teaching situation to 4 teaching places, which will house 12 classes hasn’t been a huge shift for the staff, who, Bevan says, have long been working collaboratively around their teaching strengths and interests. “The current teaching team are very much looking forward to the new school opening, which we hope will be completed by Labour weekend.” By 2019, the school role had surpassed 500 students and year on year increases prior to this was being managed by bringing on porta- ble classrooms. This new build will end the need for these temporary spaces and really bring into the 21st century, not only in its design but in teaching practice. Initial design started in January 2019. Bevan says the school community were clear right from the outset that they didn’t want a full open plan building. “We didn’t want one big open space. We found that team teaching with three teachers works best in terms of learning outcomes,” Bevan says. “The move into the new learning areas meant we needed to do a lot of research into how we would best teach.” Woodview Construction is project manag- ing and main contractor for the construction, something Bevan says is proving to be a winning formula. “They have been very good working around inside a school environment and also dealing with managing the issues Covid brought, such as ordering everything well in advance so the building schedule could be maintained.” Woodview Construction was also involved in the initial planning phase and through the Design Review Panel process before the Ministry of Education gave its final approval for the project. Woodview Construction, with three offices in the North Island based in Northland, Auck- land and the Waikato, has an extensive port- folio of commercial, education, social housing, apartments and remediation work. The company has a long standing working relationship with the Ministry of Education. In total, the new teaching areas extend over 1146sqm and administration, office and staff spaces of 182sqm. Asked what benefits will flow from the new buildings Bevan says several positives are already being experienced. “There’s already a lot more pride in the school. “It enables us to work in a much more flexi- ble space and you can be even more inclusive in these spaces. “The staff feel valued given their state of the art environment and the children can’t wait.” The teaching areas have multiple doors which provide a sense of seamless transition to outside areas which will very much be a part of the learning environment. Administration staff are also being housed in new accommodation. “We’re in one space as a team of four. “Gone are the days of single offices off one corridor. It’s again a much more flexible space and way of working. “It feels much more like a business office and professional way of working in this day.”