Categories: News

Multi-million dollar deal signed for transportable classrooms

&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;" alignright size-full wp-image-1627" src&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;schoolnewsnz&period;fastrackdev&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2015&sol;07&sol;SND17-wk4-Transportable&lowbar;classrooms-Nikki&lowbar;Kaye&period;jpg" alt&equals;"SND17-wk4-Transportable classrooms-Nikki Kaye" style&equals;"margin&colon; 5px&semi; float&colon; right&semi;" width&equals;"300" height&equals;"267" &sol;>A contract has been signed with the consortium Interlink&comma; which will provide over &dollar;100 million worth of modern&comma; multi-purpose&comma; transportable classrooms over 10 years&comma; Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye says&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p> <&excl;--more--> <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;This contract will deliver at least 50 transportable classrooms each year to schools around New Zealand&comma; but is designed to deliver more if required&comma;&&num;8221&semi; Ms Kaye says&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;The classrooms will be invaluable in situations where a permanent building is temporarily out of action&comma; or we need to meet rapid roll growth in a particular location&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;These are high-quality buildings that will support innovative teaching and learning methods&period; They meet the same standards as modern&comma; permanent structures for earthquake resilience&comma; weather-tightness and environmental sustainability&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>But they have the added advantages of being more adaptable and faster to deliver&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;The new transportables are modular&comma; which means they can be put together in a number of different ways to create whatever learning space is needed – everything from a single or double-storey classroom to a dance and drama studio&comma; science laboratory&comma; library or administration and reception area&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Current estimates are that it will take just four to six months from when an order is confirmed to installation on-site&period;&nbsp&semi;Previously&comma; it could take at least eight months to complete this process&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Under the terms of the contract&comma; Interlink will engage with schools to decide the most suitable site location and orientation&comma; and discuss the colour options and fixed furnishings that best meet the school&&num;8217&semi;s needs and complement its individual character&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;The Ministry of Education will be able to relocate these buildings as schools&&num;8217&semi; needs change&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;This is a cost-effective approach that allows for a building to be transferred many times between schools&comma; rather than creating fixed permanent structures at individual schools that may not need them in the future&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Greater use of modular buildings will help us provide modern&comma; inspiring learning environments for our children while at the same time improving our ability to respond quickly to changing needs&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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Rosie Clarke

Rosie is the managing editor here at Multimedia Pty Ltd, working across School News New Zealand and School News Australia. She has spent 10+ years in B2B journalism, and has spent some time over the last couple of years teaching as a sessional academic. Feel free to contact her at any time with editorial or magazine content enquiries.

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