Ormiston Primary School
Project Details
Architects
ASC Architects
Address
285 Ormiston Road, Flat Bush Auckland 2016 New Zealand
Submitter
John Sofo
Cost
$16,834,500
Photographer
Michael NG
Project Overview
Ormiston Primary School, by ASC Architects, was designed to include a large gymnasium/recreation zone, administration zone, library, four modern learning habitats and a dedicated learning area for Kelston Deaf Education Centre. Its scale and colourful exterior is designed to be a focal point of the community.
The brief for ASC Architects was to provide a high quality education facility to the Flat Bush community that would provide key facilities within the school campus to be easily accessed and utilised by the community. Every aspect of the school is designed to accommodate further expansion, as growth in the roll is expected. Another key planning consideration was the inclusion of an axis through the site connecting Helianthus Ave, a future Junior High School site, to the west boundary and the Senior College. This axis is a community axis to allow connection to all three schools for students and community users.
The school has been designed to the latest thinking in education delivery. In place of regular classrooms it has four modern Learning Environments that enable a flexible approach to teaching and learning. These areas have been designed to remain flexible so they may be used in a variety of teaching models, allowing cross educational stimulus, aiding teacher observation and engagement with students.
Architectural innovations centre around the Kelston Deaf Education Centre satellite unit and the Ministry of Education ‘s vision for the delivery of Modern Learning Environments around the country. In addition, the quality of acoustics, natural light, ventilation and outdoor environments make Ormiston Primary School stand out when compared to other public schools in the country. The two storey building shape (learning arms) encloses an internal courtyard allowing for maximum sun angles and protection from the prevailing westerly and south westerly winds. A key structural innovation was the distinctive feature brick wall to the front of the gym and main entry. This was designed to accommodate the flexible nature of the gym ‘s portal framed structure and ensure compliance with today ‘s stringent earthquake requirements.
Designed to achieve a 5 star Green Built rating, every feature of the school is designed to minimise energy consumption and operational costs. The quality of acoustics, natural light, ventilation and outdoor environments are significantly higher than those achieved in other public schools in the country.
Ormiston Primary School was completed and opened for the 2015 school year.
