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Graphic: An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand 1966.

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This information was published in 1966 in An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock. It has not been corrected and will not be updated.

Up-to-date information can be found elsewhere in Te Ara.

ARCHITECTURE - SCHOOL BUILDINGS

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Modern Planning

In 1954 as a result of a study of overseas methods, a new type of school was introduced, planned in separate blocks as self-contained units, each of six teaching rooms. The elimination of corridors resulted in a much quieter school in operation. The saving in cost of this type of school enabled an assembly hall to be constructed as well. The first of these schools was opened in 1957. Development of this type of school planning led to the introduction of two-storey blocks, each of 12 teaching rooms, so reducing the amount of movement of pupils between blocks and leading to a more compact group of buildings.

The changes in methods of teaching, as well as the rapid changes at present taking place in equipment and in audio-visual aids to teaching such as tape recorders and television, are having their impact on the design of school buildings. There is a greater need for flexibility in design to make the maximum use of these facilities, and to allow for an expanding school population. The development of the design of school buildings is a continuing process in harmony with the development of education and knowledge.

by Alan Peter Garnock-Jones, DIP.ARCH(LIV.), A.R.I.B.A., A.N.Z.I.A., Architectural Division, Ministry of Works.

  • Education in New Zealand, Butchers, A. G. (1930)
  • A Centennial History of Education in Canterbury, Butchers, A. G. (1953)
  • Glorious Enterprise–the history of the Auckland Education Board, Cumming, Ian (1959)
  • The Otago Education Board, 1856–1956, Forsyth, D. (1958)
  • Building Code for Primary Schools 1951. Primary Schools Building Manual 1956.