Whare Hākinakina Lincoln University Gym

The new gym at Lincoln University, also known as Whare Hākinakina, is a two-storey building nestled between three existing buildings. Sitting on a raft slab with architecturally finished topping slabs, exposed concrete finishes and striking gold ACM cladding, the 2,087 square metre centre includes exercise, teaching and research spaces, along with associated amenities.

We completed early value engineering to ensure that the facility could be delivered on budget without compromising the client’s vision, repeating the process several times to accommodate design changes as the project progressed. The discovery of contaminated ground and soft spots led to our team devising numerous methodology changes, with Covid-19 and the weather also throwing up challenges on site.

Clear communication with both the gym staff and other contractors working on site was paramount, particularly towards the end of the project when we were connecting the new building to the existing gym, timing noisier tasks to ensure that group classes weren’t disturbed.

Whare Hākinakina offers more space and more options for Lincoln University staff and students to work, work out, relax and play.