Scott Hammond/Stuff
In the mid-1930s, the existing two-storey main building of Marlborough Boys’ College was built.
The master plans for three new schools in Blenheim show that construction work is expected to take six years, with work being carried out in phases to minimize disruption.
The master plans for Te Trio o Wairau – a $100 million project to merge Marlborough Boys’ and Girls’ Colleges and to move Bohally Intermediate School – were unveiled on Monday.
Nancy Bell, hautū (leader) of the Ministry of Education – Te Mahau, called the project “one of the most complex construction projects the ministry has led”.
Delivered
The master plan for the co-located colleges shows that each school has its own playing field, with shared facilities in the middle.
The building program would be broken up into phases to “enable teaching and learning in the schools with minimal disruption,” Bell said.
READ MORE:
* Neighbors weigh in on possible high school over the fence
* Neighbors accuse the Department of Education of a “lack of transparency” around College Park’s plans
* Talk of a new school in Blenheim Park dazzles residents
* Hikoi reveals ‘wants and needs’ of Marlborough schools for reconstruction project
* The directors hope to be able to start the ‘master planning’ of new schools before the end of the year
* Te Tāru o Wairau: Iwi gift name for school relocation project
* Builder appointed for Marlborough Colleges colocation project
* Marlborough schools are reviewing ‘learning vision’ again before releasing ministry on design plans
“The need to ensure that teaching and learning can continue as normal during construction was a key driver of the staging process.”
Te Three o Wairau would see Bohally Intermediate move to one new campus at College Park to make way for the co-location of the colleges on the existing properties of Marlborough Girls’ College and Bohally on McLauchlan Street.
Helen Nickisson/Stuff
The name Te Tātrou o Wairau was formally given to the Marlborough schools relocation project by Te Tauihu Iwi at a ceremony in the Omaka Marae.
The three kura, local iwi, construction consortium Te Tumu and the education and real estate teams of the ministry, worked together for over a year to develop the master plans, which provided a blueprint for the future construction and operation of the schools, Bell said.
The first phase is set to begin later this year with Marlborough District Council’s construction of an artificial grass hockey field on the site of the adjacent colleges, which would make way for the construction of the new high school campus in College Park.
Simon Trotter, Ministry of Education project director for Te Tātoru o Wairau, said that upon completion of the turf, sections of the adjacent colleges’ campus would be built in a phased program of work expected to take about six years. completely.
The colleges would move to the new buildings as they became available, Trotter said.
“This phasing approach has also taken into account the capacity of the local construction industry and will make greater use of local suppliers and contractors throughout the program,” said Trotter.
Construction of the schools – the second phase – would begin with the new intermediate campus in College Park and the first half of the adjacent colleges’ campuses.
Delivered
The masterplan for Bohally Intermediate in College Park, with access to Redwood St.
Bohally would move to College Park once the intermediate campus was completed, and Marlborough Girls’ College would move into the completed co-located spaces at the end of this phase.
Once the girls’ school was moved out of the existing buildings, construction on the third phase would begin to complete the adjacent campus. Marlborough Boys’ College would move to the same site campus at the end of this phase.
Some of the existing Bohally buildings, such as the school hall, were repurposed for the new colleges and the Marlborough Technology Center would remain in its current location.
The master plan designs reflected the cultural story of Ngā Kōrero Tuku Iho, which was donated to Te Tāru o Wairau last year by local iwi Ngāti Rārua, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Kuia and Rangitāne o Wairau.
Johnny Joseph (Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Rārua), an old boy from Marlborough Boys’ College, said it had been great working with the project team and schools to ensure that Ngā Kōrero Tuku Iho was embedded in the master plan to create campuses that support the learning of all students at the three schools.
Delivered
An Ako Kaiaka/Specialized Learning block in the center of the campus will house technology, science, visual arts and a shared Pātaka Kōrero library.
The planned colleges’ campus was centered along Fulton Stream, with athletic fields on its northern and southern borders. Most buildings on campus would be two stories, allowing for future roll growth and ample outdoor space.
The colleges would be housed in Akomanga ako – Learning Hubs, which are designed to provide better pastoral care, identity and connection for students in addition to learning.
An Ako Kaiaka/Specialized Learning block in the center of the campus would serve both colleges, overlooking a common courtyard. This would house technology, science, fine arts and a shared Pātaka Kōrero library. Sports facilities would include a gymnasium that could accommodate three large courts and could be opened up together with the new artificial turf to form a large combined space.
With master plans finalized, conceptual and detailed designs of the new schools were developed before construction began and were to be shared with the community later this year.