NEW LEARNING VILLAGES HELP UC RETURN TO BUSINESS AS USUAL
The February earthquake has seen the University
of Canterbury overcome significant challenges.
The University is open for business and well into its teaching programme in semester two.
In the immediate aftermath of the February earthquake, the University had to look outside the square to set up alternative learning sites to ensure students’ semester one studies were not unnecessarily interrupted.
The University worked with The Project Office along with its design consultants (including Warren & Mahoney, Powell Fenwick, Cosgroves, RMG), Hawkins construction teams, Spanbild and other suppliers to pull together and work through the challenging project to ensure that 15,000m2 of new teaching, office and social space was built on two learning village sites ready for occupancy in the shortest amount of time.
The University’s new Kirkwood Village and Dovedale Village provide faculty offices, tutorial spaces and small lecture theatres for classes of up to 60 students. Space is also allocated to the University of Canterbury’s Students’ Association and its retailers.
In total, more than 100 buildings were constructed for the campus, offering a welcome resource for staff and students eager to continue their studies and research.
NEW PERMANENT HOUSING VILLAGE EASES CHRISTCHURCH MARKET PRESSURE
To help relieve the pressures of a severe accommodation shortage in Christchurch, the Government embarked
on an earthquake recovery initiative to address the issue directly, with temporary housing villages built in Linwood, Kaiapoi and Ra-whiti Domain.
However, a more cost-effective, permanent solution has come out of collaboration between Spanbild, Hawkins Construction and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).
While other housing villages in the region have been short-term – constructed on Council-owned land and parks – the development of 18 new houses and 22 apartments in three blocks at Rangers Park in eastern Christchurch is a permanent housing solution.
The $12.5 million development will initially be used by displaced residents whose homes are being repaired or rebuilt due to earthquake damage. The cost will be offset by rent and eventual sale of the homes.
The long-term, permanent nature of the project differentiates Rangers Park from its more temporary counterparts.
NEW
HOMES WHEN CHRISTCHURCH PEOPLE NEEDED
IT MOST
When Christchurch families needed a new place to live, Spanbild
took an innovative team approach to creating it
for them.
Working with a group of
locally-owned companies to form a unique partnership, Spanbild was able to draw on the capacity of its Christchurch-based factory, and the designs created for its Versatile range
as the framework for 250 temporary homes.
Working for the Department
of Housing and Building in a joint venture partnership with Hawkins Construction and Fulton Hogan, Spanbild was
able to provide a safe and comfortable new home for hundreds of local people.
The homes, in Linwood and Kaiapoi, cater for some of
the worst affected residents
of the city, offering temporary accommodation while they
find new homes or have their properties repaired. A mix of two, three and four-bedroom houses, the villages will be
used for up to two years.
Constructed over just 8 weeks, working with Fulton Hogan
and Hawkins Construction, the temporary villages have won plaudits from the community and new residents, who began taking up residence in July.
NEW FACILITY FOR LINCOLN UNIVERSITY
When the Lincoln University faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences (AGLS) needed
a temporary replacement building for one of its departments – Wine, Food
and Molecular biosciences (WFMB Dept) – finding a timely and cost-effective solution was high on the list of priorities for one
of Christchurch’s most reputable educational establishments.
Working alongside project partners Arrow International, Spanbild designed, engineered, produced and constructed a new state-of-the-art research and teaching facility. Produced inside a 12 month period, the new facility was designed to meet a range of requirements, ranging from the speed of the build to the needs of the occupants in the way they planned to fit-out the space as a specialised research facility.
The Spanbild engineering
team was able to draw on
a range of proven designs –
as well as the systems and processes that had enabled
the team to respond to a number of rapid-build projects in the post-earthquake period – to create a solution that met
all Lincoln University’s needs.
The versatility of the building, both from a structural and design perspective, has meant the temporary Life Sciences facility provides a welcoming working environment for Lincoln University staff, with elements like window shades, angled corridors and internal light-wells accenting a very well-designed space.
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