Half of the roof is now installed for the covered court area, with an estimated finish time of Christmas, before the grand opening in February next year.
When it is finished, the students of Māruawai College will be able to enjoy four full-sized courts with artificial turf, for games of basketball, netball, tennis or just to hang out in during the school hours.
The project, funded through the Ministry of Education’s five year property allocation, will be the first of many new capital projects for the school as it looks towards upgrading for the future.
The courts were built by Shade Systems, a New Zealand company, with a very quick rollout of around a year from initial design to the estimated completion.
Major project consultant and designer Regan Kemp said it was built to last, with a 25 year warranty for the canopy and a 50-year designed lifetime for the base structure.
It was designed for the conditions — filtering out light, providing cover and able to withstand conditions.
"We concentrated on it being a proper shelter for all weather use. There’s a lot higher rainfall, and more challenging environmental conditions like higher UV.
"So we’ve advanced that here in New Zealand, and I guess that’s why we were entrusted by Māruawai and the project management team," he said.
When finished, it will be the second largest canopy cover of its type in New Zealand, and Māruawai College principal Melanie Hamilton said the school was discussing how to open it up for community use.
"We’re still working out how it will work logistically, but the hope is it will be used by people outside school, as we want it to be for the community."
It was great to see the school get the balling rolling for its new look, which included further building improvements and new playing fields, Mrs Hamilton said.
"This milestone is ... the first step in a series of upgrades that will reshape our school facilities for the future."
The grand opening is expected for the second week of February.
