2024 Auckland Architecture Awards Winner
Onehunga Primary School
In Aotearoa, primary schools are neither supposed to be open nor vertical. The post-war Dominic Basic Plan was based on the premise that pupils remained in their own classrooms, all day. Corridors were redundant. Like a naughty child, Onehunga Primary School breaks these two rules. In doing so, it teaches us how far education has evolved. Onehunga is yet another masterful demonstration of the architects’ ongoing legacy of schools as class-configurable, acoustically spatialised, wide-stacked learning corridors. While some parents might distrust these modern learning environments, it was clear to the jury that those who teach in them are unequivocally supportive of classrooms designed towards self-directed learning. Top marks, team. Let’s hope this award is transformative and helps solicit phase-two funding.
