S&T is working alongside the Ministry of Education and the Wainuiomata High School whānau and community on a long-awaited major redevelopment of their school.

The design team is leading the process from master planning through to construction, providing a new, engaging, and purposeful learning campus that will benefit the Wainuiomata community.

The $30 million+ rebuild involves 33 new and refurbished teaching spaces to comfortably accommodate the school’s current roll, while also addressing weathertightness and building condition issues.

Wainuiomata High School Principal Janette Melrose says the school has focused on modernising the way they deliver their curriculum.

“We have moved away from traditional subjects and moved towards student-selected courses,” she says.

“We are firm believers that if students are interested in what they are learning and it is relevant and meaningful to them as learners then they are more likely to be engaged and more successful.”

Janette says the school is grateful to the S&T team for listening to the staff, students, whānau and Board, and designing buildings unique and relevant to the students and the wider community.

Flexibility of the learning environments is paramount, so S&T has designed spaces that are remarkably adaptable and allow for all types of learning to take place – whether that’s seated at a table, crafting a physical project in a wet space, cooking, doing PE, dancing, or presenting work to others.

The new learning environment will help students gain skills to allow them to flourish in the 21st century.

The use of biomass for schools’ heating systems is also a growing area. S&T Engineering worked with the Ministry of Education to promote this as a solution for Wainuiomata. The result is the largest pre-assembled wood pellet boiler installation in the North Island to date, providing an excellent example of this technology for the future.