112 | HRS Construction: Elmwood Normal School Your Trusted HVAC Professionals Servicing the South Island of New Zealand, FAS Mechanical specialise in delivering tailored HVAC solutions for the commercial and industrial sectors. GET IN TOUCH (03) 926 5963 admin@fas.co.nz www.fas.co.nz • BALUSTRADES • POOL FENCES • HANDRAILS • WINDBREAKS P: 03 366 5511 www.canterburybalustrade.co.nz BUILDING Another feather in the cap T T Karen Phelps “The school was fantastic to work with from start to finish.” Adaptability proved the defining quality behind HRS Construction Limited’s award-winning redevelopment of Christchurch’s Elmwood Normal School, with the completed Rimu and Matai blocks standing as evidence of what collaboration can achieve when a project brief shifts midstream. The project was awarded a 2026 New Zealand Master Builders Gold Award in the Education category. HRS Construction general manager and director, Andrew Marshall, says that what started as a straightforward $6 million commission to replace a single ageing classroom block evolved into an $11 million development comprising two new teaching buildings, after HRS demonstrated to the Ministry of Education that a second purpose-built structure represented far better value than refurbishing an existing facility. “The original scope involved removing a large, timber-framed building that contained significant asbestos, with a second existing building set to be upgraded,” Andrew says. “But when we put the numbers to the Ministry of Education and showed that a second new classroom block would actually work out considerably cheaper than refurbishing the old one, they agreed it was the smarter solution.” HRS and its project partners, including project manager and quantity surveyor, Aecom, architect, Designgroup Stapleton Elliott, and structural, civil and electrical engineer, Powell Fenwick Consultants, used the opportunity to refine the design. The second block became a considered evolution of the first, shaped by early buildability input, value engineering and careful cost modelling, allowing the expanded project to stay within the original budget envelope. That flexibility also extended into the construction process itself, with lessons from the first building directly informing how the second was delivered. Retaining the site establishment and running elements of both builds in parallel meant the programme could be streamlined without compromising quality. That same adaptability was tested daily on-site, where a live, space-constrained urban environment demanded careful staging, clear communication and strict safety controls to ensure learning continued uninterrupted throughout construction. Andrew says that maintaining that balance depended heavily on the relationship with the school itself. “The school was fantastic to work with from start to finish,” he says. “They worked closely with us to make sure construction could continue safely while classes carried on as normal, and their support made a real difference to how smoothly the project came together.” Both completed blocks feature steel frames on concrete raft foundations, with timber sub-framing and conventional cladding, each occupying a 400sqm footprint and together providing 1600sqm of modern teaching space across two storeys. Enabling works began over the 2022-2023 Christmas period, with the main build starting in mid-2023 and practical completion reached in June 2025. The project adds to a strong run of recognition for HRS Construction following its 2023 Supreme Award, Gold Award and National Category Award for the $16 million restoration of the earthquake-damaged St Faith’s Anglican Church in New Brighton. For Andrew, the Elmwood Normal School project outcome reflects a wider company philosophy. The project was awarded a 2026 New Zealand Master Builders Gold Award in the Education category.
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