At ease

Left, right, left, right, left. Halt! The past cries of mock battles and parade routines at Fort Dorset have been replaced by the familiar cries of children at play.

Former Defence Land in Burnham Street, Seatoun has surrendered itself to the newly constructed $5 million Seatoun Primary School. In a sweeping transformation the old Army parade ground has been reborn as a host of school buildings and a well-drained playing field.

Set apart from residential housing, just metres from the seashore and exposed to strong northerlies, the severe marine environment significantly impacted on the final design. Minimising the negative impacts of weather conditions with the positive site aspects of extensive light, sun and views proved to be a delicate balancing act.

Prevailing weather conditions led to the unique two-storeyed design, seldom used for primary schools. This design allowed for the inclusion of an inner courtyard sheltered from all weathers and large enough for all pupils. Each of the lower classrooms opens onto its own small lawned area, while the upper classrooms enjoy decked views out across the harbour.

With an emphasis on natural robust materials, exterior substrate selections included locally grown exotic cyprus for the weatherboards and titan compressed sheet panels. The titan panels have been variously coated in a range of paua inspired hues in Resene X-200 weathertight membrane and Resene Enamacryl Metallics to create a natural link back to the marine environment. The curved front softens the school's façade giving the effect of a school gravitating towards the sea.

The metallic theme has been duplicated in the interior and mixed with bright colours for uplifting energetic room schemes. Each room has a colour scheme of its own co-ordinated from the floor to the ceiling and incorporating cabinetry and pinboards. The interior fabric is predominantly finished in Resene Zylone Sheen for its extensive colour range in a low sheen durable finish, combined with Resene Enamacryl Metallics on ceiling tiles and hallway feature areas for added sparkle.

With tomorrow's schools needs today firmly in mind, Seatoun Primary School students can enjoy the best of the new technologies as this is one school that is literally wired for the future.

Architects: Tennant Bevin Architecture; Hugh Tennant, Hugh Tennant Architects; Nick Bevin, Bevin Slessor Architects
Builder: Darren Mason, Mainzeal Construction
Painting Contractor: Kensington & Associates
Resene: Andy McDonald, Central Architectural Services Manager
From the Resene News – issue 3/2002

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