Wellington East Girls’ College Block 7 refurbishment

Our Wellington Projects & Interiors team refurbished Block 7 at Wellington East Girls’ College inside and out, re-cladding the exterior and fitting out state-of-the-art science and technology classrooms.

Accessing the top level of the three-storey block to install the Nu-Wall aluminium cladding presented a logistical challenge; it is not connected to the lower floors and could only be accessed either through the school or via a steep hill behind the building. Our team came up with a clever solution, integrating a construction hoist into the methodology to ensure that materials could be handled safely and efficiently.

With the project proceeding through the height of pandemic-related supply chain disruption, we pre-emptively procured essential supplies months in advance, designating laydown areas on the site to keep the materials dry, secure and accessible.

Our team endeavoured to find new homes for the material we removed from the building during the strip-out. The old wall linings we salvaged have already been used multiple times as floor protection on other projects.

We kept everyone engaged on the two-and-a-half-year project by fostering a collaborative and productive environment, including hosting a joint MATES in Construction Fly the Flag event with the Ministry of Education and culminating in an impressive Block 7-shaped cake enjoyed by the school and the project team at project handover.