Channel Christian School Arts & Recreation Center

Channel Christian School’s new Arts and Recreation Center has become a valued and welcome addition to both the school and its community.

Channel Christian School is a small parent-controlled school, so it was necessary to ensure the new facilities can ‘flex’ to cater for a wide variety of uses, from sporting activities to concerts and performances, as well as provide meeting spaces for community events.

With a modest project budget, it was imperative that the design solution needed to be both practical and innovative in order to achieve the school’s vision. The main multipurpose space is lined with perforated plywood, which is both robust enough for sporting activities as well as noise dampening when used as a performance space.

The music room doubles as a community meeting space with a stunning outlook over North West Bay and kunanyi / Mount Wellington. Both rooms and the outdoor courtyard are served by a generous, centrally located kitchen which supports a variety of school, community and family events. The building structure is almost entirely engineered using local timber, which was both the most cost effective and environmentally friendly construction material.

Channel Christian School is known for its inclusive gatherings and social events. By opening the new rooms directly onto the common outdoor space the building is inviting and welcoming, and reinforces the schools desire to create a strong and enduring community.