Avondale College

The tiny but treasured Godwit bird was the inspiration for the award winning revamp of New Zealand's largest Secondary School, future-proofing it's facilities for the 2750 students and 200 staff that attend there every day.

Avondale College, which begun as the conversion of an American Naval Hospital in 1943, has grown with suburban development and then intensification in Auckland's Inner West, quickly outgrowing it's buildings and bursting at the seams. A fire in 1990 which razed most of the College did not help, nor did the death of a long-standing Principal in 2000.

The Ministry of Education hired Jasmax in 2011 to deal with the issue and they did so with considerable foresight and imagination,within the government funded budget. Ninety two new spaces were created, over three years, and the result was so impressive it earned an Architecture Institute Award for National Architecture in 2015.

Where the godwits (kuaka) come in, is that they fly (in schools) over this area daily and on their annual migration from various New Zealand wetlands, to North Korea, Siberia and Alaska. The architects used patterned plywood on the underside of the entrance atrium, which is massive, connected, and shelters a network of walkways and courtyards that provide a sophisticated and urban environment for students. A winged canopy, modelled upon a flying godwit, to join the Arts facility with an old American-era building at the rear of the school, the concept of joining being as important as the flying.

Eco features are a strong theme in the build, having been directly requested and funded by the school. These include double-glazing, shading, rainwater harvesting, natural ventilation, efficient lighting and daylight harvesting, solar hot water-ready systems, and double insulation. Other eco assets are cycle parking and an 'enviropod' related to the local Pollen Stream. Aside from the buildings at Avondale, the college also owns an Outdoor Education Centre at Tongariro called Taurewa.

Image Credits: NZPlaces needs images, please send some in!