A new gym for OHS1 min read

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The long-awaited new gym for Onehunga High School is finally under construction. Work got underway in December, when six prefab classrooms overlooking the school’s playing fields were relocated by crane to the opposite side of the netball courts.

In August 2018, the coalition Government announced a funding boost of $28m to the school. A number of original buildings at the school are being replaced, and a renewed campus will be developed, which includes 18 new teaching spaces, the new gym, and a library.

The new gym is just the first stage of the construction at OHS. It should be ready to use next year, after which the current one will be demolished, and a new two-storey classroom building will be built in its place. As part of the changes, the school’s library will also be relocated.

The new gym will be large enough for two basketball courts, and will include extendable tiered seating to accommodate large crowds for big matches, as well as being used for school assemblies. Externally, the most striking feature will be that the building will be cantilevered out over the slope of the hill. This will not only help create the space for the large floor plan of the structure, but will also enable the construction of a covered grandstand underneath the gym for the rugby and football fields. The south wall will be almost entirely glass, ensuring plenty of light  all year-round.

OHS principal, Deidre Shea, says the start of the construction is timely. Many of the school’s classrooms date back to 1959, and they have been showing their age,  with constant maintenance issues putting pressure on the school’s resources.