St Andrew's College

The events of 22 February have had a significant impact on the College in many ways, not least on the buildings and grounds.  Immediately following the earthquake, the grounds were covered with liquefaction, which also bubbled up from underneath the floor of the theatrette, around asphalted areas and across the extensive fields.

Thanks to the quick work of Mike Johnston (Custodian) and John Anderson (Head of Middle School), a St Andrew’s student volunteer army came to the College soon after and cleared the fields of most of the debris.  Excellent work from Mike Johnston, Mike Seaward and Chris Lewis meant that, within four weeks, the fields were drained, liquefaction dug out and grass re-sown in time for the autumn growth.

Strowan House

For several years, Strowan House has been the administrative hub of the College, housing the College kitchen and boarders’ dining room, the Secondary School staffroom and work areas, reception, finance centre and senior staff offices, Rector’s office and Boardroom.  After the September earthquake, Strowan was damaged and needed significant repair work.  At the same time this was underway, the Board decided to install a sprinkler system throughout Strowan – something that had been recognised as necessary for many years. However, just as the painters were completing their work on the interior of Strowan, the February earthquake rendered this historical building uninhabitable. In the three and a half weeks that school was not operational, spaces were found around the College to house 40 staff.  Now that school is back in operation, the boarders are fed lunch and dinner from the Middle School cafeteria; the staff is using the new Foundation Sports Pavilion and the Rector is housed in a builders’ shed, located overlooking the No 1 field (the best view in the College)! It is envisaged that work will soon begin on Strowan House to further restore her functionality, however, this may be 18 months from completion.

Update November: The quantity surveyor is costing the final stages of an engineering solution for Strowan House. Some of the preparatory work has started with the building fenced off and the remaining chimneys demolished. Strowan House needs extensive strengthening, levelling and refurbishment and the process is expected to take about 12 months to complete, however it is hoped that the dining room and kitchen will be back in use by the beginning of the 2012 school year. Great care will be taken to ensure that the beautiful plaster detailing which was such a feature of this gracious old building is faithfully reconstructed.

Click here to view a video with updates about Stowan House.

The Memorial Chapel

The Chapel has been significantly damaged in the earthquake.  The south wall has separated from the floor, there are cracks in the concrete frame and brickwork wall and main arch.  The bell tower has separated from the main Chapel structure and moved towards the stream.   The Chapel is a much loved building by present  students and Old Collegians alike; however, repairs  will undoubtedly be complicated and costly.  All factors, including safety, engineering and geotechnical information, insurances and strategic facility requirements for the College must be  considered in determining the eventual solution. It is hoped that a plan for the future of the Chapel will  be determined in the near future. In the meantime, our Chaplain Paul Morrow is running Chapel services in the gymnasium for Secondary School students, and the Preparatory School is able to use one of their spacious “break-out” spaces. The spirit and togetherness is still the same – it’s just the venue that is different.

The Richard Askin Memorial Band Room

The band room was damaged in the September earthquake and the 22 February quake determined that this building needs to be demolished.  Like everyone else, the band continues to operate and function in temporary facilities until a new band room and tutorial rooms are built.  Planning for this new facility is presently underway, and it is hoped there will be purpose-built space for the Pipe Band by early in 2012.

The Boarding Houses (MacGibbon, Thompson and Rutherford)

The recent demolition of two of the three boarding houses will see the College embark on building a brand new state-of-the-art boarding complex. This is an exciting, if unexpected, opportunity for the College.  It is anticipated that the new boarding complex will be ready for occupation by mid-2012.

The junior boys’ and girls’ boarding accommodation was extensively damaged in the February earthquake.  Rutherford is uninhabitable until strengthening work is completed (by way of sheer walls or k frames).  For the remainder of Term 1, the boarders were housed or billeted with friends, family or day students.  Since the beginning of Term 2, boarders and staff have been housed in three motel complexes on Papanui Road and Bealey Avenue.  After school, until the completion of prep, the boarders are accommodated on-site in common rooms and recreational areas.  They are fed, and have supervised prep before returning to their motels around 8.20pm every evening.  It is testimony to student and staff resourcefulness and resilience that this arrangement is working well.

Plans for the new boarding complex have been approved and building is to commence as soon as possible. Click here to view an artist's impression of the new complex and click here to view a site map showing the location of the boarding houses.  This complex will house up to 120 students and is being designed to quality specifications and the highest safety standards. Fifty more students can be accommodated in the existing Rutherford House, giving facilities for up to 170 students.  

 “The building will be designed to a high quality with robust materials and finishes, and all the modern features expected of a contemporary boarding facility.  The structural design will be developed to a standard 30% greater than required by the new post-earthquake seismic design codes and will be piled to mitigate the risk of liquefaction damage” says Tony Hoare, Director of Wilkie and Bruce Architects.

Dianne MacDonald Director of Boarding, says, “It is testimony to the strong boarding spirit, family atmosphere, and proactive care that boarding students have remained connected to the College and continue to enjoy the boarding spirit while they are accommodated off site”.

Click here to view updates about our new boarding house complex.

Update November: The new boarding houses are in the working drawing stage and getting all the necessary consents. The programme of work is expected to begin at the end of November after exams. Detailed geotech reports indicate that some quite extensive ground improvement will need to be done in that area and a decision has been made to use stone columns to a depth of six metres under the site and extending beyond the perimeters of the new buildings with a concrete raft foundation on top. This will provide greater stability and strength to the building. Care has been taken to ensure that the materials used in the construction of the Boarding Houses are sympathetic to the recent additions to the St Andrew’s College building landscape, particularly the new Spiro Science and Mathematics Centre and the new Preparatory School. The design of the new boarding houses will allow boarders to enjoy a combination of private and communal spaces, with spaces for quiet study and reflection and recreational areas to relax and socialise.

The Arts Block

A three-storey Arts Block was built in 1972.  The fourth storey was added in 1981.  Extensive investigation by the engineers following the earthquake revealed that, although not damaged in the earthquake, the specifications for the building were such that extra strengthening work was recommended.  Classes are back up and running in the Arts Block following an extensive strengthening and refurbishment programme. While there was ony superficial damage to this building from the earthquake, the strengthening was part of the Board’s commitment to providing the safest environment possible for staff and students. Shear walls were built to provide extra strength to existing walls. The ground floor was dug out to allow for new foundations that are now tied to the old ones. Seeing the amount of strengthening that went into the building including 238 cubic metres of concrete and 54,310 kg of steel has given everyone extra confidence in the safety of the building. At the same time the ceilings were replaced and the fire sprinkler system upgraded. Teachers and students say they are appreciating the enhanced environment of the refurbished Arts Block.

The New Preparatory School

The brand new Preparatory School withstood the force of the February earthquake very well.  Unfortunately, the College campus, including the Preparatory School, had major damage to underground sewerage pipes.  However this situation has been rectified and the underground services for the Prep School are again operational.  The new all-weather sports turf for the Prep School, damaged in September and again in February, has been re-laid and is being enjoyed by our Prep students for recreational play and sport. The Prep School is indeed a magnificent teaching and learning space, and we are very fortunate that, with cooperation from the Prep teachers, six Secondary School teaching spaces have been accommodated temporarily in this new building.

The Preparatory School recently won a Silver award at the Canterbury Master Builders Awards. Click here to read more about this exciting win.

Click here to view a video update about how the Prep School withstood the force of the earthquakes.

The 10-Year Plan

Over the last couple of months, Executive and the Board have spent many hours discussing the St Andrew’s Campus Development Plan.  Our commitment to our capital development remains strong.  Obviously, the strengthening of Strowan, the Chapel, Arts Block and Rutherford will need to be a priority, but right alongside this will be our new boarding complex and sports centre.  We are confident we will be able to begin the new sports centre by the end of 2012 and it is still our intention that our campus development plans as previously published will be completed by our centenary in 2017.

Click here to view a video about the new gymnasium project.

Click here to view a video about our new Spiro Sciences and Maths Centre that was withstood the earthquakes extremely well.

The Campus

We are fully aware of the disruption from having intrusive building happening on campus.  Fortunately, the extensive grounds of St Andrew’s mean that there are excellent areas for students to continue to enjoy life on the campus away from building areas.  Our landscaping plan, developed last year, gives us a blueprint for grounds to complement the teaching and learning environment.  Before the end of this term, our new hockey turf (half-size) will be completed and in use and we are fortunate that the new quad in the Secondary School has not sustained any damage.  When the new Prep School outdoor space is completed, by the end of this term, the St Andrew’s campus will once again offer extensive recreational and sports areas for all our students.

Thank You

Many people have worked tirelessly to get our campus operational again and, to ensure the very best decisions are made with regards to student and staff safety and to our future developments. Particular thanks go to Mainzeal Construction, Bushnells Builders, Alun Wilkie and Tony Hoare (Wilkie and Bruce Architects), Holmes Consulting (especially Richard Seville and Renee Brook), Stu Calder (Multi-Sport Surfaces), Phil Mauger (Maugers Contracting Ltd).

Rector
Christine Leighton