Modular buildings hit the spot

Vogeltown School principal Jeremy Ogle started on the same day that the first of the Ministry of Education’s new modular buildings arrived in New Plymouth.

“There were three trucks with three pieces of classroom on them,” he says.

“I was down the road watching them heading into the junior school on my very first day.”

That was in April last year, and 12 months later, the classroom is working very well.

“We absolutely love it!” he says. “We’re very lucky to have it.”

Year 1 teacher Lee Newlands says she really enjoys working in the new building.

“These are wonderful modern new spaces,” she says. “It’s a flexible space, and we can use it in lots of different ways. I love the bright colours – the blues and the reds. It’s a welcoming environment, and it will be lovely and warm in the winter.”

Lee also calls it an “all-weather” building as she can open doors to the decks on either side.

“That’s a great little area,” Jeremy says. “Lee gets out the paints and easels and it’s easy to clean up afterwards.”

He notes that although the classroom is open plan, the noise factor is very low.

“Some classrooms have to put baffles in or break up the space with furniture. Here, if people are talking in one corner, you can still talk in the other corner.”

Jeremy was also surprised at how quickly the building was installed after the components arrived on site.

“Within a couple of weeks, we were walking around inside it, the pieces were joined up and the carpet was down,” he says. “I’d love to have another one for our senior school. I’d recommend them to anyone.”