“9/10 complexity” - Holmes Construction Wellington Site Manager
The once Whetūkairangi pā on the Miramar Peninsula is a site rich in history, surrounded by beautiful native bush and beach. The existing area of the school for redevelopment was designed by the renowned architect Gerald Melling. The building design at the time earned a NZIA award. The school management and Travis Gray wanted the new addition to be in sympathy with its unique heritage and location.
The School is very small and has little playing space left over. It was imperative that any new building works did not occupy usable playground space which we achieved. We moved the new school office and entry to a more effective location and created a new retreat area for staff. A new ‘heart’ was created for the future library reconceptualising Gerald Melling’s original concept. The new additions and alterations feel fully integrated and are in the playful spirit and child scale of the original school.
Described as a “9/10 complexity” by Holmes Construction Wellington Site Manager, the geometry of the original buildings provided a challenge to graft the new addition to. The original buildings consisted of two octagonal rotunda with turret roofs. These roofs were offset horizontally and vertically with the head height being only 2m tall at some pinch points. A close relationship with the structural engineer and the main contractor was imperative for the success of the project. We digitally BIM-modelled each and every framing element to resolve the new roof geometry. This tool was instrumental in communicating with the builder during construction.
All structure was approved by an engineer due to the extremely high wind environment. Materials, and weathertightness systems were carefully chosen and the cladding product had to be pre-tested, consentable, and cost-effective. Not easy but we found one that ticked all the boxes and worked in harmony with the existing aesthetics.
In addition to the new capital works project, careful repairs and maintenance were planned and carried out to keep the existing unfinished macrocarpa weatherboards that the original school buildings were clad in. The weatherboards were sorely needing upkeep after 40 years of neglect. A board by board survey was conducted to establish replacements and maintain this heritage. A testament to their robust design there was very little rot found in the wall framing and they were caught just in time. Specialized cladding oil was specified to preserve the boards for many more years of service. The end result is a cheaper more sustainable solution than recladding, and preservation of the building’s heritage.
