Factory Converted For School Space

Press, Volume C, Issue 29487, 13 April 1961, Page 8

Factory Converted For School Space

One of the oldest factory buildings in Christchurch is being transformed into a spacious teaching addition to the Technical College. This is the big workshop block on the Madras Street frontage of the college block which was bought in 1958 from Andrews and Beaven who acquired it in 1942 from Shacklocks, makers of coal ranges for very many years.

The solid brick walls, 14 inches thick up to doublestorey height, give the main clue to its age. Its early history is obscure. In this empty brick shell, measuring 100 ft by 40ft, the college has built an upper floor plus small mezzanine floors which will provide 8500 sq. ft. of teaching space. A feature is the preservation of working areas, offices being on the mezzanine floors and storage and other facilities being cunningly incorporated under the stairs and within the partitions. The upper floor is carried on big steel girders traversing the whole width. The construction of the old building, rather than being a handicap, proved an advantage. The girders were simply mounted on the strong brick piers originally built to carry overhead crane rails but now cut down to first floor level. The partition walls are largely concrete block. The inside of existing brick walls was plastered up to dado height and painted above that level. This arrangement has provided big welding and plumbing shops on the ground floor and a sheet metal workshop, woolclassing room, apprentices’ common room, and toilets on the upper floor. Wheree the old factory had big doors opening on to Madras street, there is now a brick wall matching that of the college’s big modern building and engineering block which it abutts.

The principal of the college (Mr D. W. Lyall) said yesterday that this major ex-

pansion was necessary to improve facilities for all types of welding instruction, to provide separate accommodation for sheet metal and panel beating (which had previously been housed with welding), and to provide new rooms for plumbing and woolclassing (previously taught in an old corrugated iron shed, which was originally a private scrap metal store). The latter old store was formerly on Fife street where it used to make a southern turn through the middle of the present college property. The removal of this old store is now necessary because it is in line with projected extensions to the building and engineering block. “We've come a long way since the college started with about a quarter of an acre on this site about 1903.“ said Mr Lyall. The new plumbing workshop is now occupied although not quite complete, the metal workshop will be ready about mid-year, and the rest by the third term. The architect for the conversion is Mr T. Nelson, an old boy of the college, and the contractors are Messrs H. L. Stove and Son, Ltd.