Remarkables Primary School

On a stunning green-fields site near the shores of Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown, this project for the design and construction of a fully serviced new school for 460 pupils included the creation of the building platform, geotechnical survey work, roading, services and all landscaping and ancillary siteworks.

The school provides 24 classrooms divided into four learning pavilions, a learning resource area, an administration area and hall, and a new pre-school. Incorporated in the design was a roof accessible by staff and pupils, which increased the restricted space of the 1.6Ha site.

The school’s Board of Trustees was keen to employ environmentally sustainable design principles, including low-energy consumption technology, a green roof, recycling, natural daylight and ventilation. As the school is not far from the flight path to the airport, a high degree of acoustic insulation was included to address the significant noise pollution from overhead aircraft. The design was also developed to enhance and capture the wonderful lakeside and mountain surrounds, nestling into the hillside and clad with robust external claddings requiring minimal maintenance.

Significant re-shaping, cutting and benching was required to create playground terraces and the main building platform. Two old gully zones containing fill needed to be excavated and removed form site, and weak soil meant the pads and beams of the main structure were large and deeply buried. Exposure to prevailing winds meant that dust control was a major issue, with silt fences and cut-off drains installed to prevent any silt contamination of nearby Lake Wakatipu.

The whole project was completed to a very high standard within 15 months, to the complete satisfaction of the Ministry of Education and Board of Trustees, who were particularly pleased that Naylor Love generated sufficient savings from the budget to provide additional features.

The new school proved so popular that they soon needed more classrooms! We were pleased to work with them again to shift a block of two classrooms to the school and completely refurbish them, with the project completed in time for the 2013 school year.