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Furniture for the collaborative, informal, teaching and learning spaces at Massey's Innovation Complex, Ōtehā campus.
In January 2023, Europlan completed the furniture fitout for the collaborative, informal, teaching and learning spaces at Massey University’s Innovation Complex on the Ōtehā campus in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. The building won Excellence in the Education category at the 2023 Property Institute Awards. Our involvement began almost three years earlier, with concepts first presented in April 2020.
What followed was a collaboration between Athfield Architects, Massey and Europlan, and it started in an unusual place. Early planning happened over digital whiteboards from home during lockdown, with fabrics and finishes reviewed over video calls. That work in the design phase laid the foundations for the RFP process in May 2021. Europlan was awarded the furniture supply for the Collaboration and Informal Spaces and the Teaching and Learning Spaces, and work began to bring the design-phase ideas to life.
Client
Massey
Completion
January 2023
Area
10200m2
Spaces
Education
Project Credits
Europlan Project Lead - Helen Dennis
Massey Project Lead - Renate Smith
Project Manager - Paul Clucas
Project Manager - Rhia Spall
Architect - Athfield Architects
Interior Design Consultant - Heather Fowke
Photography - Jono Parker
Massey Project Lead - Renate Smith
Project Manager - Paul Clucas
Project Manager - Rhia Spall
Architect - Athfield Architects
Interior Design Consultant - Heather Fowke
Photography - Jono Parker
Project Outcomes
This was a brand-new, purpose-built facility, and Massey wanted a supplier who could think innovatively and provide design consultancy to enhance the informal areas. The brief also called for furniture that stayed flexible, so the spaces could be reconfigured as the needs of the environment changed.
Those spaces were designed with students, staff and visitors at the forefront, and they cater to meetings, socialising, waiting areas, conferencing and event hosting. The complex holds teaching labs, research labs, teaching and learning spaces, meeting rooms for staff and PhD students, and informal, collaborative and transitional spaces throughout the building.
Each area was carefully considered to encourage creativity, with flexible spaces and a high level of design that kept accessibility and inclusivity front of mind.
Those spaces were designed with students, staff and visitors at the forefront, and they cater to meetings, socialising, waiting areas, conferencing and event hosting. The complex holds teaching labs, research labs, teaching and learning spaces, meeting rooms for staff and PhD students, and informal, collaborative and transitional spaces throughout the building.
Each area was carefully considered to encourage creativity, with flexible spaces and a high level of design that kept accessibility and inclusivity front of mind.
Planning and Design
To deliver on the brief, we worked closely with Massey and Athfield Architects, and provided design, consultation and support services throughout the project.
That involved developing floor plans and specifications for the informal, collaborative, teaching and learning spaces, along with meeting room and locker layouts. We guided the selection of product, specifications and finishes with curated mood boards and sample selections for review, including product samples and mock-ups.
Once we were out of lockdown, we provided onsite product consultation and engaged directly with key stakeholders, staff and students, so the solutions we offered met their expectations. We used layouts and diagrams to confirm fit and alignment with power and IT integration, and to finesse the customised product development and design.
We worked with industrial and interior design consultant Heather Fowke on the floor plans. Her attention to detail throughout the process helped us deliver spaces that worked.
Project Management and Delivery
The project management phase was led by Paul Clucas and Rhia Spall from Europlan. Paul's close knowledge of the project combined with Rhia's Auckland-based expertise, both bringing sharp, agile skill sets to our full range of project management services.
Every aspect of delivery, assembly and installation was coordinated with the Massey project manager and the main contractor. We ran regular site visits, measure-ups and onsite project management to stay across the delivery sequencing and oversee it properly. The final stage was commissioning all furniture to confirm full functionality and cleanliness before handover.
Paul and Rhia worked with our operations team and logistics facility to consolidate the staged deliveries and keep communication clear, so daily site changes were accommodated without disruption.
Every aspect of delivery, assembly and installation was coordinated with the Massey project manager and the main contractor. We ran regular site visits, measure-ups and onsite project management to stay across the delivery sequencing and oversee it properly. The final stage was commissioning all furniture to confirm full functionality and cleanliness before handover.
Paul and Rhia worked with our operations team and logistics facility to consolidate the staged deliveries and keep communication clear, so daily site changes were accommodated without disruption.
Project Solutions
Through considered design and flexible furniture solutions, the spaces offer variety, from a quiet space to a cosy nook for focus work, to socialising over a coffee for impromptu collaboration and peer-to-peer learning. The spaces are user-led by design, and they support a community atmosphere.
This was a rewarding project delivered by a large team of skilled and generous people, and a modern learning environment designed for the way students and staff work.
This has been an incredible project to work on, by an extensive team of highly skilled, intelligent and generous people. The Massey Innovation Centre is a truly modern learning environment where people feel safe and will experience a sense of togetherness for many years to come.
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