Business South August 2021

| 97 Catholic Diocese of Dunedin - St Thomas Aquinas School Small school undergoes huge transformation Russell Fredric Stage one of the project, comprising four classrooms with break-out spaces was completed in April this year. “Teaching has changed, of course; there’s a lot of emphasis on multi-use spaces.” COMMUNITY S t Thomas Aquinas School is undergoing a major metamorphosis under the over- sight of the Catholic Diocese of Dunedin. Built in the 1960’s, a major portion of the school in Winton, Southland, is being inter- nally modernised to meet the needs and demands of today’s curriculum and learning environment. Diocese property manager, Craig Paterson, says while St Thomas Aquinas was well built and has served the community well, it was in need for refurbishment and renewal, while education needs had moved on. Typical of its era, the school had classrooms which backed onto a corridor with coat hooks and cupboards. “Teaching has changed, of course; there’s a lot of emphasis on multi-use spaces. Teachers require break-out spaces or shared spaces.” Known as Innovative Learning Environ- ments (ILE’s), these spaces between class- rooms can be used by either single or joint classrooms for various lessons and activities. The St Thomas Aquinas redevelopment is being undertaken by Gore firm, Jones and Cooper, in two stages to a design by McCoy & Wixon, of Dunedin. The school has a roll of 105 and a total staff of nine, including five full-time teachers. Stage one of the project, comprising four classrooms with break-out spaces was com- pleted in April this year while delivery of stage two, being the refurbishment of the adminis- tration area is expected to be completed late this year. The redevelopment is mostly on the building’s existing footprint although modest extensions include an additional breakout space and enlarged the administration. “We try to be as green as possible so we are converting the existing footprint and incorpo- rating that modern learning environment, so it’s a significant internal redesign. Craig has been impressed with Jones and Cooper’s handling of the project. “There’s a quality of work that they do, but just as importantly, when you’re working in an operating school environment you have to make sure that you work in with teachers and the staff and I think they’ve done that pretty well.” While impacting the school’s day-to-day op- eration is unavoidable, the skill is in minimis- ing this impact, Craig says. “There’s an art to that and I think that goes back to the management on site and Jones and Cooper’s foreman, Allan Keown deserves a pat on the back.” St Thomas Aquinas principal, Teresa Jarvis, says the school’s staff and board were includ- ed in the planning and design process. “It’s a really pleasing result, I think our learning programmes are now reflective of the spaces that we are in. They are modern, they are multi-purpose.” The addition of a student kitchen area has also enabled further learning activities. Teresa and her staff feel very fortunate to not only have the school upgraded, but also that both stages are being undertaken back- to-back. She has also been pleased with Jones and Cooper’s project management. “They’ve been very receptive and very col- laborative in their approach, they’ve actually been working alongside us. “We’ve got a good working relationship in terms of health and safety and pre-planning for transitions; it has been quite seamless.” L & W LANDSCAPING For all Landscaping and Paving Lloyd Brownlie Ph: 0274 335 759 | PO Box 296 Invercargill 9840 | Email: Iwland@xtra.co.nz Proud to be associated with the Catholic Diocese of Dunedin LEADING WITH www.thwaitesaluminium.co.nz 47 Mersey Street, Invercargill | 0800 4 fairview THWAITES ALUMINIUM Fairview windows & doors, o ffer quality products that are made for New Zealand homes. Since 1987. Experts in industrial engineering and fabrication • Design • Manufacturing Services • Maintenance • Site Services • Project Management • On-site Installation From design to installation, we lead the way on complex, challenging projects in New Zealand and overseas. INVERCARGILL: P: +64 3 214 4969 123 Mersey Street, Invercargill CHRISTCHURCH: P: +64 3 344 3059 1/52 Hickory Place, Islington, Christchurch E: W: www.e-type.co.nz