West High School's Striking New Hall

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28530, 8 March 1958, Page 4

West High School's Striking New Hall

The Christchurch West High School now has its own assembly hall in a setting probably unrivalled in New Zealand. It is at the head of the school’s oak-lined drive and it looks out across the school’s lawns to South Hagley Park.

The interior has strikinglybeautiful simplicity, achieved by the use of natural-coloured panelling to a height well above eye level with only two other major complementary colours. The walls are of finely-figured honeycoloured Sen plywood (a type of Japanese oak) to a height of about eight feet They are plastered and painted Arctic blue for another three feet up, and then there are windows of six feet. The' floor is of a Malayan hardwood called keruing, waxed in its natural tones. Proscenium Whereas most halls have the proscenium plastered and finished in light colours, with a broad border on the arch, the Christchurch West High School has the whole proscenium panelled up to the 25ft centre ridge in grooved plywood, with a thin white surround to the stage. The flat grey tones of the stage interior give an impression of great depth. Another feature is the interior of the front wall which has a

panelled dado with the upper part sprayed with an asbestos accoustic material, which has been tinted in rich Indian red. The auditorium measures 70ft by 50ft and will hold about 800 persons. Under the 20ft-deep stage, there is spacious storage over the 50ft width. It will hold! all of the hall’s tubular steel seats when the floor is cleared for gymnastics or dancing. There are two dressing rooms (the school is keen on drama and opera) off the stage, and along the east side of the hall proper there are separate changing and shower-room suites for boys and girls. Lockers are set underneath the seating forms in these rooms.

Kitchen There is a big kitchen on one side of the foyer, with a servery opening into the hall. On the other side of the foyer there is a big gymnastics storeroom. The foyer, itself, is one of the most arresting parts of the building. Its plain design is set off by the fullyglazed screen at the main entrance with the doors inset with tall glass panels. The architects for the building were Messrs J. G. Collins and Son and the builders were the F. C. Cole Construction Company. The building is now finished and the school is using it for music classes. School assemblies will begin in the hall when the contract for paving the approaches is completed in a few weeks. An official opening ceremony will be arranged later and the hall will be in full operation when the school celebrates its centennial in September. / It is many years since the school, itself, raised considerable funds toward a hall. Its high priorty was deferred because of World War 11. When the erection of assembly halls was reintroduced, the Christchurch West High School’s long-held plan was granted Government approval