University challenge

When the location is ideal but the site constrained, bringing in building materials can be awkward and time-consuming. However, there is another way forward think modular.

The new 442-bed University of Auckland Halls of Residence is a village-like environment that forms an integrated component of campus life.

Designed by Andrew Barclay and Shannon Joe of Warren and Mahoney, the 16-level building com-prises two towers with a conjoining glass volume accommodating common spaces for each floor. General communal facilities, such as the dining area, games room, music room, laundry and library, take up the ground, first floors and basement.

But it is the modular nature of the building that really sets the University of Auckland Halls of Residence apart making it the first of its kind for student accommodation, and the tallest structure built this way in New Zealand.

Starting with a steel structural framework, the 429 prefabricated timber room pods that comprise the majority of the building were manufactured by Stanley Group in Matamata, trucked to Whitaker Place and then craned into place, says Joe.

"The construction was undertaken in zones, each comprising 33 pods per floor, stacked three high. Then each zone was capped with a concrete slab floor, and the process repeated to the top.

"Advantages beyond freeing up a constrained site was the economy of build and minimising wastage through modular construction. The process also made for a high standard of interior factory finish."

The energy-efficient halls of residence are airy and comfortable with natural, mechanically-assisted, cross ventilation for all the bedrooms.

Story by: Trendsideas

Photography by: Jamie Cobeldick