Te Kura Kaupapa O Te Raki Paewhenua
The Building Intelligence Group delivered Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Te Raki Paewhenua: a Maori immersion school in Mairangi Bay, and gained the opportunity to think beyond the limits of mainstream education.
Te Kura Kaupapa Maori follow Te Aho Matua - a philosophy of Maori values, principles and practice that aims to nurture and teach its language, culture and customs with future generations. The new school joins others like it throughout the North Island.
This project was about challenging the status quo and coming up with future solutions rather than revisiting past ways of thinking. In a practical sense, looking to the future meant designing the buildings to adapt and grow as attendance does. There's even the potential for the children to be involved in this as an element of project-based learning.
As satisfying as it was, the project wasn't without its challenges. From the outset, Ministry of Education funding priorities - affecting school building projects nationwide - meant delays.
Then, in preparing for earthworks and construction, 9000m3 had to be excavated as part of the cut to fill operation. The greatest obstacle was 8000m3 of sandstone, a greater volume than earlier geotechnical testing had indicated. An immediate solution was required to prevent the earthworks literally grinding to a halt.
In order to mitigate this major impacting delay The Building Intelligence Group had site levels re-designed to keep over 20% of the rock in-situ , with the remainder used as fill onsite. We quickly redesigned retaining walls and drainage, and successfully mitigated the potential for extra costs.
In addition to cost management, sustainability was crucial. Careful resource use, such as greywater capture for toilets, plus natural ventilation and passive solar heating, will reduce future running costs.
And the future looks promising. The completion of this project represented the dreams and aspirations of more than a decade. Those dreams humbly include the school's own grounds, a play area and a new library for its aspiring young pupils.
This project was an invaluable learning experience for The Building Intelligence Group, expanding our vision for effective learning environments, and providing insights into Kaupapa Maori education.
The Building Intelligence Group's education sector experience also includes:
Te Kura Teina (Kaipara Harbour)
Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Piripono
Nga Whare Maha Kohango Reo
Fale Pasifika, University of Auckland
University of Auckland (property consultant & client representative).
Read Paving the Way for Future Generations