New Arts and Activity Centre

Media release

Newmarket Primary School is embarking on an exciting and ambitious new project. The school, located in Newmarket in Gillies Avenue opposite Morrow Street, is building a new Arts and Activity Centre for school and community use.

The exciting new Arts and Activity Centre designed by award winning architects Fearon Hay is an environmentally sustainable building, will be the first of its kind in New Zealand.

The buildings structure is conceived as a series of layers. Fearon Hay have used polycarbonate product as the weather skin set behind a continuous mesh screen. The screen is the support structure of a living wall of Boston ivy that will with time establish a planted façade of ever changing colours with the seasons.

The “living wall” provides a natural filter to regulate the sun and heat providing an environmental solution for regulating temperature, with shade in the summer and sunlight during the cooler months, providing thermal mass to reduce the need for extra heating within the building. Other features include solar power for electricity, lighting and water heating, water retention facilities for hall and irrigation use. Along with the more obvious environmental benefits, a building like this will also provide Newmarket School children with an atmosphere of learning which will be sensitive to the environment, and provide the community with a much needed facility.

With such a global focus on sustainability this building is a model for students and the community.

To finance the Centre the Board are offering naming rights, applying for funding through various trusts, and asking for assistance from suppliers. The school has also organised several major funding events this year. On June 6th Andy Stankovich “Elvis the Voice” and The Big Elvis Show Band with Dave Curtis on keyboard are performing at the ASB Logon Campbell Centre and in August an auction will be held at Zarbo.

ENDS

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