Today we picked up the kitchen cabinetry we had CNC routed by rainbow furniture. After arriving we realised that the cabinets would be a giant jigsaw puzzle to put together as there were many pieces. Transporting them back to the workshop at UNITEC so that we could assemble them off site. View full entry

In order to continue with the internal work on the bathroom pod we need to create a weather tight environment so we could ensure that the moisture levels inside the bathroom were kept at an acceptable level for the pre lining inspection. To do this we needed to install a temporary roof on the... View full entry

Today we removed the boxing from underneath the concrete slab. The concrete slab and walls weighting 5 tonnes made the 450mm crawl space seem less than comfortable. View full entry

The joinery arrived on site and some of the students began painting the jamb liners to prepare the units for installation into our pre fabricated walls. Once the painting was complete we we able to drill pilot holes for fixing and place the units into the walls. Now with the windows in we can... View full entry

After the concrete had set we began removing the boxing from the sides of the concrete slab in order to let it cure and so we could continue wetting the slab during this process. We also began raising the walls on the bathroom pod so that we could start cladding the exterior in preparation for the... View full entry

A question was asked about the pre cast concrete we have been working on as to what exactly was the pre cast concrete for.To clarify it is the floor of the bathroom and laundry.These are some drawings that illustrate the area that is the concrete slab we are pouring off site and how it will be... View full entry

The team continued work on the wall panels by fixing support bars for the windows in the openings as well as started to clad the external walls on the north and south façades.This cladding process involved painting the wall panels, laying and fixing the 'z' and head flashings we had made for the... View full entry

Over the last few days we have been working on the steel reinforcing in the pre cast concrete slab. This was a difficult process to get right and took some time to complete the many links and ties to construct the cages of steel.After we had completed this the engineer came to site to check that... View full entry

While some students carried on with the exterior cladding, others began building the formwork of a pre cast concrete slab. This slab will form the floor of our bathroom and laundry which will be built as a 3d module off site. This module will then be taken to site and connected with the main slab... View full entry

Before we could fix any RAB board to the wall frames we needed to check that the wall was square and had not grown due to creeping measurements as we constructed it. Once we had check these we were able to apply RAB board to the exterior face of the walls in place of standard building paper. All... View full entry

With only a few wall frames left to complete we are almost done with the first step of the prefabrication process. Next we will move onto fixing rab board to the frames which will replace building paper. This is to ensure each wall panel is braced while being transported to site and erected. We... View full entry

Today we started the first step in our construction phase of studio 19. We began the day with a tutorial by James from crate construction on how to frame a wall. He went through nailing and cutting techniques, as well as important things to think about while framing the wall. We then proceeded to... View full entry

The next step in our preparation for the build phase of the project was to familiarise ourselves with the tools we would be using. Dave shared his knowledge with us a showed us the correct was to use the tools as well as explaining the dangers of the tools we were using. Some of the students had... View full entry

Before we were able to start building our design we had to take part in a site safety course. This was a good opportunity to get your head in the game! There are many hazards present on a construction that you need to be aware of. Main lesson was to be aware of your surroundings and to look out... View full entry

After taking a broad range of design alternatives and amalgamating them into one design we presented this scheme to the clients. With a positive response from the clients and discussions about materials we will continue working to the detailed design for our next presentation. View full entry

After receiving feed back from the Clients for each scheme and assessing each others work we have the difficult task of bring together four very good and quite different schemes into one design. View full entry

Team Wha: Aseel Al-azi, Craig Pauling, Georgia Hay and Rory Keegan. View full entry

Team Toru: Waseem Chiraagh, Hannah Stephenson, Ameline Liew and Angus Beaton. View full entry

Team Rua: Jack O'Neill, Hannah Smith, Samuel Lawson and Lisa Humphrey. View full entry

Team Tahi: Jonnel Mamauag, Matthew Beneka, Jessica Hulme and Ashleigh Smith View full entry

So after a few weeks of designing the four group had a presentation to the Clients at Ngāti Whātua O Ōrākei head quarters. These presentations went well with the clients showing enthusiasm in the work the students had done thus far. View full entry

The different teams working on their designs in studio at UNITEC. View full entry

After two days of intensive studio we had some conversations surround what the different groups had come up with. Some good work has come out of such a good time but also a lot of questions raised, more work to be done still. View full entry

Took a couple of hours out on the second day up at Mangawhai to look at some of the architecture in the area. Dave showed us around Mangawhai and some of the work SGA has done in the area. View full entry

The students all worked late into the night at Mangawhai trying to solve all the complex issues of the brief.  View full entry

We headed up to Mangawhai heads for an intensive two day workshop to get the design process underway. The 16 students were put into groups of four with each group proposing a different scheme.  View full entry

The students head to the site to meet with the clients and gather information about the site.We measure the site, look at the surround context and get a feel for the character of the site.The view over the Auckland isthmus from the site is amazing.  View full entry

The 16 Student from the UNITEC school of Architecture will be working along side Dave Strachen, Pat De Pont and Maria Taylor from Strachan Group Architects.The UNITEC students involved in this year are Waseem Chiraagn, Jessica Hulme, Aseel Al-azi, Craig Pauling, Ashleigh Smith, Matthew Beneka... View full entry