Lastly the truck brought in a finer metal aggregate which would we had about a 50mm layer of, which was compacted to 50mm from the top (approximated from a 45 x 90 timber block placed flat on the perimeter of the floor). We then spread the aggregate evenly to compact and level. View full entry

Preparing the foundations for concrete pouring, the gravel needed to be poured on in layers and then compacted. This continued until the gravel was compacted and leveled to about 75mm from the top of the concrete block footings. View full entry

While we were working on the prefabrication of the build at the workshop at Unitec, on site excavation and the footings were being put down. When we turned up it was ready for us to prepare for concrete pouring. First we started with clean up and disassembling the stringline timber boundary... View full entry

Today we made a special visit to Blum who kindly sponsored us their kitchen fittings such as our cabinetry hinges, to drill the holes for the hinges to be attached to. Luckily despite the bad weather none of the gaboon for the kitchen cabinets got wet nor weather-damaged. View full entry

Today we set out to build the only ceiling in the house which is located in the bathroom. The rest of the house will have the exposed underside of the SIPs roofing panels although the bathroom will require additional bracing while being transported so a ceiling was necessary to provide the... 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

For the past few weeks the team has been working on the exterior cladding of the house. This has involved cutting, routing, priming, painting, putting the flashings in place and nailing. Accuracy and keeping the walls in square is key to the house being able to fit together properly when we... View full entry

The concrete truck was coming early so the boys had an even earlier start to the day - everyone in a rush to get the precast construction ready for pouring.They had constructed a temporary roof that will cover the concrete while it is drying. This is to protect it from Auckland's schizophrenic... 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

Today we met at the UNITEC workshop where we will be prefabricating much of the building ready to transport and assemble on site. Sadly there has been a delay with the construction contract that will not be signed until Friday the 20th.Instead of completely losing a week worth a work we began... 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

Wednesday 4th June, 2014From Resource Consent to Building Consent, it's now down to the nitty gritty for our kaumatua house, the aim being to make it a buildable and plausible design. Our four teams continue to work on the four core areas, thus making our own groups: the floor team, the roof... View full entry

Wednesday 28 May, 2014An award winning converted warehouse space with deck and views to the CBD, our team went on tour through the new Rosebank Rd Blum showroom, an international company that specialises in the production of functional furniture fittings. The company's main product groups are lift... View full entry

From our third presentation to Ngati Whatua, we presented our refined design which explored interior materials and colour palettes on 'mood boards', as well as perspectives and plans. Perspectives and master plans, plan and section - Presentation Board. View full entry

Wednesday 7th May, 2014After a few weeks of contacting suppliers for materials, the interior team were hard at it choosing what colours and which materials to use for the interior fit out of the kaumatua whare. The team presented to the wider group a selection of choices, and once narrowed down... 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

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