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Technology Centre

Background

Built by the Ministry of Education in 2000, the Marlborough Technology Centre was the first school workshop building designed to support a new national technology curriculum. It is used by more than 1,000 school children from throughout the surrounding province for a wide range of technology subjects.

A Post Occupancy Evaluation was commissioned to identify strengths and weaknesses before a similar design was replicated at schools in other regions.

Findings

The Post Occupancy Evaluation found that the Marlborough Technology Centre supports student learning very successfully, and is an inspiration to the students and staff who use it. Key recommendations related to:

• Problems associated with the building's multiple uses, including noise control. The consultant and participants themselves identified relatively simple design modifications to solve these issues.
  
  
• Management issues. The new technology curriculum and building model required changes in teaching culture and inter-school co-operation, and it was recognised that these required careful management. Another important recommendation was the need for input from a wide range of stake-holders when similar buildings are being planned.

This is one of about 25 Post Occupancy Evaluations of school buildings we have conducted. An issue commonly identified for improvement in education building projects is the definition of the scope of work. Schools could construct more efficiently if project funding was defined in fewer and larger "packages".

Client Comment

For this client, Post Occupancy Evaluation represented a systematic way to identify the effects on student learning of the new facility. Comments recorded during the evaluation demonstrated clearly that the building was generating a considerable enthusiasm for technology among students.

"Post Occupancy Evaluation definitely helped us identify a measurable link between building quality and educational outcomes, which is notoriously difficult to show," says John MacDuff, District Manager of the Ministry of Education. "The evaluation was a very helpful way for the local management team and I to bed-in systems, and crucial in preparation for designing the next technology centre."

"Absenteeism has dropped on Technology day", was one principal's comment during the evaluation, indicating the inspirational qualities of the new technology centre.

Email: inquiries@postoccupancyevaluation.com