UCOL Te Pūkenga students design community spaces for Palmerston North Kāinga Ora customers

UCOL Te Pūkenga students visit the Kāinga Ora site at Brentwood Ave in Palmerston North.

Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities is upgrading 24 apartments in Palmerston North’s Brentwood Ave to make them warmer, drier and healthier.

It partnered with UCOL Te Pūkenga students to design community spaces for the Brentwood and wider community to come together and connect.

“Community spaces are important to support social cohesion and wellbeing outcomes for Kāinga Ora customers and communities,” senior stakeholder relationship manager Rebecca Kinloch says.

“We are not only building homes, but we want to support sustainable, thriving and inclusive communities too.”

New Zealand Diploma in Architectural Technology second-year students visited 32-34 Brentwood Ave in September to look at potential community spaces. They returned to the drawing board to work on designs and presented their ideas to Kāinga Ora a few weeks later.

“The concepts were very detailed and comprehensive,” Kinloch says. “The students had listened carefully and undertaken a lot of research to develop their designs. They were all well-presented too.”

UCOL senior lecturer Marshell Putu says the project is an excellent opportunity for students to be involved in a real-life project.

“Being part of client meetings that involve client expectations and deadlines gives them an experience they cannot get in a classroom environment. This will better prepare them for workplace expectations moving forward.”

One of the students, Michael Mckay from Palmerston North, designed a safe, weatherproof outdoor space for families to relax, share kai and supervise children at play.

“Having grown up in a rural setting, I want to encourage others to get outside as it benefits physical and mental health.”

Talking to an actual client gave him a sneak peek into how things might work in the industry.

“I find it easier to learn by doing than by being told what to expect, so this experience was great. A big thank you to Kāinga Ora for this opportunity, I hope future students will get a similar chance,” Mckay says.

Fellow student Stephen Johnson agrees the project was a great learning experience.

“This project was a chance to flex my creative mind muscles and impact my local community.”

From left are UCOL students Stephen Johnson, Michael Mckay and Jordan Sabine, Kāinga Ora staff Rebecca Kinloch and Kylie Look, and UCOL student Vivi Fan.

Kāinga Ora will continue to discuss the proposals and likely use design aspects from various concepts to create the community spaces at Brentwood Ave.