What distinguishes the College is that it is ingeniously nestled under the expanse of an existing giant warehouse roof on Lydia Street.

"Most people are quite surprised. You can't see much from the outside because of the warehouse structure, but once you come in, it's remarkable. And so most people are completely blown away by it" said Marian College Principal Mary-Lou Davidson.

The project, hailed as the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere, marks a significant departure from traditional school building designs and offers a unique blend of industrial aesthetics with cutting-edge educational facilities.

Spanning 7,000 square metres, the complex boasts 26 classrooms, a full-size gymnasium and four multi-use indoor sport courts, setting a new standard for future school construction.

Board chairperson Carmel Gregan-Ford reflected on the significance of the school's journey to its new home, acknowledging the community's collective effort in reaching this milestone.

"Many of you here today have been part of Marian College's journey to this point in one way or another" she told guests.

The journey to this momentous occasion shas panned over a decade, driven by the necessity to find a permanent home for the school's 430 pupils following the devastation of its former site in Shirley by the 2011 Canterbury earthquakes.

Marian College has moved four times during the 12 years since the earthquake.

The College now looks forward to a stable and prosperous future in its innovative new home in its state-of-the-art educational facility.

The innovation sets a precedent for adaptive reuse in educational spaces across the southern hemisphere.

The Laura Fergusson Brain Injury Trust purchased the former Marian College campus in Richmond and will centralise its South Island services in a new facility there.

Sources

• Star News
• Wikipedia
• Marian College

The Catholic girls' school will leave its Barbadoes St base at the end of the year. It will then move into its new location on the former Foodstuffs distribution centre site in Northcote, on the northers side of Christchurch.

The $50 million purpose-built school sits under a giant warehouse roof. This design is believed to be the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere.

Principal Mary-Lou Davidson has already moved into the new school.

"It's a unique build, so most people are quite surprised" she says.

"You can't see much from the outside because of the warehouse structure, but once you come in it's remarkable.

"And so most people are completely blown away by it."

Post-earthquake shuffle

This is the second big move Marian College has had in just over a decade.

The school first moved from its original Shirley site after it was damaged in the 22 February 2011 earthquake.

It's "temporary home" on Barbadoes St was to accommodate the girls and staff for the next 12 years.

A longer-term solution was found when the Catholic diocese bought the former Foodstuffs centre in Northcote. The diocese decided to retrofit a two-storey school into the giant warehouse.

Not an easy job

Armitage Williams Construction's managing director Ben Harrow admits the project was complex. He says it took five years to plan and design, and another two to build.

"We've had eight key managers on the project from Armitage Williams, and they've been working on it from day dot.

"For them it's quite emotional to hand over a project to a client because it's been their home for the last two years, but they're stoked."

Centrepiece chapel

Davidson said the chapel is the centrepiece of the new school and harks back to the school's origins. It features a large cross made from the wood of an oak tree that grew at the Shirley site.

The chapel's star-lit ceiling represents the night sky on the day the school officially opened in 1982.

Besides the chapel, the new school boasts 26 classrooms, a full gymnasium, four multi-use indoor courts, a performing arts theatre, an outdoor courtyard and sports fields.

Many of the Marian College students live in the north of the city.

"Our brother school, St Bede's, is just down the road and St Joseph's Papanui is next door. We have a lot of students come from North Canterbury, so that feels like home already" Davidson says.

Once exams have finished and the Barbadoes St site is no longer needed, the Bishop of Christchurch Michael Gielen will reclaim it as office space.

The new Northcote site is set to be officially opened in February, in time to welcome students back for the new school year.

Source

• ODT

New facilities for people with brain and spinal injuries will be built on a Christchurch school site cleared after the earthquakes.

The Laura Fergusson charity runs a residential home in Burnside, and offers services such as assessments, rehabilitation and physiotherapy in other parts of the city.

Trust chief executive Kathryn Jones they were "absolutely thrilled and excited" about the new site. Read more

The College will be rebuilt on a 3-hectare site in the Christchurch suburb of Papanui.

The first students at the state-integrated school for girls are expected to start at the new $20 million facility in February 2023.

Catholic Bishop of Christchurch Paul Martin says finding a new home for the school had always been one of his main priorities.

The plans for the Catholic college, which has a maximum roll of 430, were designed by Christchurch architects Sheppard and Rout.

Sustainability is at the forefront of its design. It will be built within the former Foodstuffs warehouse that currently exists onsite.

Davidson says the innovative and exciting plans have been ‘worth the wait'.

"In moving to Papanui, we join our brother school St Bede's College, and St Joseph's Primary, and the Christchurch North Parish to become a Catholic hub and we look forward to working together in the coming years.

"While we never expected to be at our current site for ten years, it has been a blessing in disguise in that we've been able to really consider how we want to teach and learn in the future and what spaces are essential at our new school," Davidson says.

Marian College board of trustees chairwoman Jan Paterson said the new site, next to St Joseph's Primary School, would give the school plenty of room for growth and was close to St Bede's College, "offering potential for sharing and collaboration."

"Thank you also to our school community for your loyalty and patience, and to all the schools, individuals, businesses and communities who have supported Marian since the earthquakes. It means a lot to us."

Marian College had to move from its original site after the 2011 earthquakes.

Covering 17,737 square metres in two titles, the Christchurch the Catholic Diocese is selling the site for development.

Marian College was founded on the site in 1982 after a merger between two Catholic secondary schools for girls, St Mary's College and McKillop College.

Marian then relocated to temporary premises after the earthquakes.

Hamish Doig, who in conjunction with Will Franks is selling the property, says the land sale will help fund the school's rebuild.

"We've never seen as much pressure for residential land as we have at the moment with multiple bids on all available land that we're taking to the market.

"Developers are typically selling all their assets from the plans before beginning construction, putting them in a very strong position for acquiring more."

A transport plan will be designed so students from more than 30 feeder primary schools can get to the new school easily.

Source

• Voxy
• Stuff
• Sporty
• Image: Stuff
  

A new Marian College will be built on a 3-hectare site bordered by Vagues, Main North and Northcote roads in the Christchurch suburb of Papanui. Continue reading

A geotechnical assessment has confirmed that the former site will remain at risk of liquefaction, including subsidence and lateral spreading.

Repair and rebuild estimates are comparatively expensive because of the nature of the land.

Christchurch Bishop Barry Jones is undertaking a process of exploring potential sites for a new permanent site for Marian College.

A statement on the Christchurch Catholic diocese website noted that "Marian College will be rebuilt and will continue to provide quality single sex Catholic secondary school education".

Continue reading

She was one of many pupils who yesterday lent a hand for the school's annual free car wash.

Cars entered the school from Barbadoes St and drove through the school grounds and out in Moorhouse Ave, going through seven different "washing stations". Continue reading

The February 22 and June 13 earthquakes had caused widespread liquefaction at Marian College's Shirley site and the 430 pupils and 55 staff have been sharing the St Bede's College site since May. But according to the chairman of the Board of Trustess, Gerard Duignan, the move was unavoidable because the Education Ministry had said schools could not have split-shift days next year.

Duignan said most of the school's buildings could be repaired, but geotechnical engineers had advised that repairs be deferred for at least a year because of the risk of further quakes. He hoped the school would eventually return to the site it had occupied since 1982.

Moving to the Catholic Cathedral site:

• Allows the Marian College students to return to a "normal" (8.30am - 3.00pm) school day.
• Provides the possibility for senior classes at Marian College and Catholic Cathedral College to be timetabled together …as was previously the case with Marian College and Shirley Boys' High School.
• Affords the Marian College students the possibility to access Catholic Cathedral College's specialist science, art and technology facilities.

Source

• The Press
• Catholic Diocese of Christchurch
• Image: Rebuild Christchurch