Construction has begun on a new building for Rangiora High School in North Canterbury, New Zealand. Mott MacDonald is providing design engineering services on the project on behalf of the country’s Ministry of Education.
The new 3185 sq m single-level building will be located within existing school grounds and will deliver extra space for current and future students. It will comprise six innovative learning environment hubs, equivalent to 19 standard classrooms, as well as seven science laboratories, providing a total of 26 teaching spaces. The new building, which will also include a student plaza and eight roll growth teaching spaces, will provide Rangiora High School with the capacity for approximately 1900 students.
Mott MacDonald is providing mechanical, electrical and hydraulic design engineering services, with sub-consultants Olsson Fire and Risk providing fire engineering and protection services. The consultancy will install LED lighting and a mixed mode natural/mechanical heating and ventilation system, incorporating underfloor heating and heat recovery. Mott MacDonald has also undertaken energy, daylight and thermal comfort modelling to optimise building fabric and glazing design and modify the school’s existing district heating system.
Warner Brunton, Mott MacDonald’s project director, said: “In the interest of sustainability, we optimised the building’s design against energy usage. Indoor air quality and environment were key considerations in the design, in order to maximise classroom comfort for students and teaching staff alike and ultimately enhance learning outcomes.”
Pupils are expected to begin using the new spaces during the first term of 2017.