St Clair School Te Manawanui
Project Details
Architects
Philip Gilchrist
Address
136 Richardson Street, St Clair Dunedin , Otago 9012 New Zealand
Submitter
Philip Gilchrist
Cost
$1,850,000.00
Photographer
Philip Gilchrist
Project Overview
A two-level atrium space provides a large shared learning environment at the heart of the school. Connectivity, Flexibility and Sustainability are underlying concepts behind the design of this building renovation project which transforms an existing two-storey classroom block into a modern learning environment.
A vibrant and enthusiastic school has embraced the opportunity offered to do things differently as enabled by the Te Manawanui (The Big Heart).
Te Manawanui joins two existing buildings, one a single-storey administration block with one classroom and a larger two storied classroom block housing 12 classrooms. The second stage extended the building to incorporate additional classrooms replacing prefabricated classrooms.
Three key concepts of flexibility, connectivity and sustainability underlie the design.
The buildings design is large, simple and bold employing commercial construction methods, mono-pitch roof forms.
The new learning space promotes a variety of learning styles and allows for individual, small group and large group learning experiences. The flexibility of the overall design is a particular strength of the project. Space is defined by the activity taking place within it, rather than the other way around.
Motivation and emotion has also been recognised within the school is having a significant impact on the quality of learning outcomes. It is clear from observation that children have responded very positively to the new learning environment and that this environment has had an impact on both their overall emotional perception of the learning experience and their motivation to learn.
“I think that Te Manawanui is really big and spaced. I like how we have the colours. The colours in Te Manawanui are all different and that looks really cool. It ‘s good to have a really big space in our school because this school is really big. I think St Clair School uses Te Manawanui wisely. Altogether, I love Te Manawanui plus St Clair School is packed with mobile e-devices so I ‘ve got to say we are a really lucky school ” – Orlando, Student St Clair School
