Project Update 7
Whilst 2019 was a busy period of careful planning, review and enabling works to get two very significant projects underway, there was no doubt that the start of 2020 heralded the beginning of a very exciting building phase on the Shore Road campus!
With resource consents for both the Specialist Facilities/Senior School Boys’ Classrooms and the new Girls’ School building granted by the end of 2019, it was possible to advance to the construction phase.
Shore Road Campus
Specialist Facilities and Senior School Boys’ Classrooms
During January, trees were removed and the demolition of the former Boys’ School staffroom, bank seating, Middle School and the old Library building were completed, levelling the site ready for construction. Whilst part of the Boys’ School has been consigned to history, the resultant building platform has cleared the way for the start of a new era, with the promise of outstanding teaching and learning facilities to come!
Prior to the Covid-19 Lockdown in late March, work on the Specialist Facilities and Senior Boys’ Classrooms building was progressing very well and ahead of schedule at that point. The bulk of the earthworks had been largely completed, with the foundation works well advanced and ready for the first concrete pour. The Principals had been hoping to mark this significant milestone in late March but the plans were thwarted by Covid -19.
With the nationwide Lockdown implemented on March 26, all construction activities had to be suspended to comply with government legislation, but with the subsequent move down to Alert Level 3 in late April, work was able to re-commence on 28 April. By the time Alert Level 2 was announced in early May, all contractors and sub-contractors were already back onsite and making up for lost time.
During 2018, the Trust Board was pleased to confirm the Master Plan for significant development of new, purpose-built facilities, and enhancement of current facilities, on the Shore Road Campus and Pakuranga Campus.
Since the last issue of Piper, work has continued to progress on projects at both the Shore Road and Pakuranga Campuses, with work tracking well against expectations. With exciting plans ahead beginning to gather momentum, much of the work at this stage is about ‘enabling works’ – that is, the prior preparation in readiness for the ‘main projects’ to go ahead.
If you have any questions or would like more information about the Phase 1 Projects, please email masterplan@saintkentigern.com
Contract Signed
On Monday 2 March, Chairman of the Board, Dr John Kernohan, Chief Operating Officer, Merle Boniface and Major Project Manager, Colin Bowring convened for the formal signing of the biggest legal construction contract ever drawn up for Saint Kentigern.
The Master Plan Stage 1 Development at Shore Road entails two of the largest, most ambitious and complex builds in our history. Over $61,000,000 has been allocated to the construction of a new Girls’ School at the lower end of the Shore Road Campus and a building in the heart of the campus that will house extensive Specialist Facilities for use by both the Boys’ School and the Girls’ School in one half, with the rest of the building assigned to new Senior School classrooms for the Boys’ School.
As part of their vision for Operational Excellence, the Board has committed that Saint Kentigern will provide an outstanding physical environment designed to maximise learning and that ‘all resources are prudently developed, utilised and aligned for best practice.
The New Girls’ School
With consent finalised in late December, the new Girls’ School building was tendered in February/March and the Trust Board approved a fixed price for the works during March.
The Girls’ School will be built on the land adjacent to Gate 5 on the Shore Road Campus and prior to Lockdown, preliminary site clearance works had commenced. Early in Term 1, Girls’ School Principal, Miss Juliet Small was joined by students, Jeanna Ho, Sienna Robertshaw, Gemma Berkovits and Chloe Ira to ‘turn the first sod’ for the new school. The girls are all currently in Year 6 and will be the senior Year 8 girls when the school is completed for opening in 2022.
The Boys’ School Deputy Principal’s house formerly stood within the construction zone. When site work recommenced in April, the demolition of this building was completed and temporary retaining was undertaken, prior to the bulk earthworks getting underway during May. A tower crane will be installed in due course.
Whilst activities had to be stopped within the new Girls’ School construction zone during Lockdown, the Contractor, Consultants and Saint Kentigern team continued to work on many other aspects of the project including drawing reviews with the precast and structural sub-contractors, provisional sum reviews, and design and documentation clarifications to ensure the project keeps progressing without undue delay.
New Shore Road Preschool
As part of the overall plan for the Shore Road site, a new Preschool will be built to replace the current Preschool on the Remuera Road property.
The Board gave approval in late March to engage consultants, commence the design process and work towards the lodgement of a Resource Consent around October 2020.
We were delighted to welcome Mrs Nikki Joyce, the new Preschool Principal, at the start of Term 2 and she has joined the working group closely involved in the project. Collingridge & Smith, specialists in the design of preschools and early learning centres, have been engaged as the architect and along with other key consultants, they are currently working on the initial concept design options for consideration by Saint Kentigern.