In With the New - Te Huruhi School, New Zealand

This Waiheke school was rebuilt using Abodo Vulcan Cladding, leaving the existing school hall as the only older building remaining. To help it assimilate within the new school setting, SPACEINBTWN created a welcoming entrance portal and facade screening using Abodo Vulcan timber finished in Protector - Straw.

Allowing this older building with its curved roof and metal cladding to blend in with the new school environment called for material consistency and a sculptural touch, making this an apt project for SPACEINBTWN’s Ruth Findlay and Kirsten Newton, who are both Spatial Design Consultants as well as installation artists.

Using Vulcan Screening, they added dynamic rhythm to the sides of the building, with vertical elements and patterning wrapping the exterior walls like an additional skin, and a striking entrance portal diverting attention from the existing architecture, says Ruth.

“We have a love of architectural installations and ‘space within space’, so we looked to adorn the front facade with a sculptural element that welcomed the community,” she says.

“The structural form of the entrance way was inspired by whare (house) forms, movement and connections. As you walk under, the timber above interlocks to create a ridge beam, the backbone of the hall. We anchored the structure with steel feet and decorative details to give extra visual strength and to ground the structure to the land.”