Learning on Site: When the Campus Building Site Becomes the Classroom

A live construction site. A lunchtime. An extraordinary window into the world of building and construction.

On any other day, this group of Year 13s would have been at Saints Quad enjoying the familiar rhythm of lunch with friends. But on this lunchtime, these students with a keen interest in building and construction found themselves somewhere altogether different.

Donning hi-vis vests and hard hats, they became the first cohorts of this size to step onto the Year 12 and 13 building site on our Pakuranga Campus. Standing at the open courtyard, the group looked up in awe at the towering structure, now with its cover almost fully removed to reveal its complete footprint. Three storeys of brick and glass occupied what was the Goodfellow Centre and Wingate Block just over eighteen months ago. The much-loved library, a gathering place before and after school, tutor rooms and classrooms that had been part of daily life for so many years. This heart of the school will become the future home of the senior school and the Mathematics, English and Christian Education faculties, ready for occupation at the start of the 2027 school year.

Across two visits, one week apart, the opportunity was planned with student learning in mind: to turn a working construction site into a living classroom. Not a simulation, not a case study, but a first-hand encounter with a major building project in full swing, over 140 workers on site and industry professionals generous with their knowledge and time.

Over the course of each visit, students were guided by David Featonby and Dave Van Emmerick, Aspec Construction's Project Manager and Senior Site Manager, through the many facets of building development. From the learning-led design decisions that shaped the building's form, to the engineering challenges encountered along the way, to the intricacies of procurement and project management that keep a development of this scale on track, the tour moved through each floor with students asking questions as they went, and the Aspec team taking every opportunity to explain what was happening around them and why.

The details brought it to life. Students saw the building's electrical infrastructure in its raw state, with great reels of cabling threading through conduit systems that, once the walls were closed, would disappear entirely, known only as light switches and power points. They learned how structural pillars had been positioned to carry load while preserving the open interior spaces the design called for and heard about the engineering ingenuity required to make both demands work. They heard about coordinating multiple specialist subcontractors, each with their own trade requirements and sequencing, across a live site on a campus where students continued to arrive at the gate every morning.

And then they reached the top floor. Stepping out onto the open balcony, scaffolding still framing much of the view, students could see what this building will look and feel like from the inside. The view was striking, open school grounds stretching out below, the estuary beyond. It offered a first glimpse of what it will feel like to look out from this building every day. It was one of many highlights of the visit, alongside seeing the classrooms taking shape and the massive Atrium at the heart of the building.

These visits were preceded by a briefing from the Aspec team with interested students, where they shared insights into career opportunities in the construction industry: work demands, possible pathways, and what it means to build something of lasting significance. The session was led by Jeff Robertson, Aspec's Construction Manager and Director, who brought an architectural background to the conversation and spoke with the clarity of someone who had followed his passion into the profession. Also in attendance was Melissa Booth, Lead Engineer from Holmes Consulting, who offered students a compelling window into a career in engineering and what a structural engineer does day to day. At the close of that talk, Aspec announced a $5,000 scholarship for one student pursuing a career in the New Zealand construction industry. Students interested in applying are encouraged to contact Student Futures for more information.

Beyond opening students' eyes and inspiring possibilities to industry opportunities like these, Student Futures is connecting interested students with real-world placements and hands-on experience in the trades and applied industries. Over the past two years, Student Futures had arranged for a handful of Year 12 and 13 students to intern with Aspec, working on the Year 12 and 13 building site and gaining hands-on experience as the building took shape.

When a building is designed with student learning at its heart, it makes sense that the learning begins before the doors even open. For these Year 13s, the classroom was the construction site that had been part of their campus view all year and the learning that happened there was as real as it gets.