Northcote College gym refurbishment

Our Auckland Projects & Interiors team embarked on a project to reclad and strengthen the gymnasium at Northcote College late in 2024. Once we opened the building envelope, it became clear that the condition of the asbestos cladding was worse than originally expected. Deterioration of the internal side of the sheeting had resulted in contamination throughout almost every element of the building, including the ground beneath it. The asbestos removal scope alone expanded from an estimated 20-day programme to approximately six months of full-scale operations.

Some clever thinking mitigated the cost and programme issues and kept both construction workers and the school community safe. To avoid large-scale hazardous material removal works of the contaminated sub-floor soil, we proposed an alternative solution of driving screw piles though a 200-micron damp proof membrane containment barrier, encapsulating the ground while still achieving the required seismic performance.

The structural steel was heavily contaminated with both asbestos and lead-based paint, threatening to further extend the programme. We built a full-height internal birdcage scaffold and 200-micron containment barrier, forming a sealed work zone that allowed the remediation to be completed safely in parallel with other work on the building.

Despite these challenges and a major cyclone that struck mid-project, our team committed to careful waste sorting, achieving an excellent waste diversion result of 87.5%.

With new cladding and linings, strengthened foundations, upgraded the interior load paths, new fire alarm, emergency lighting and mechanical systems, and a refreshed interior, the Northcote College gym now looks and performs better than ever.