New vision classroom in a flash

The need for a new classroom at Patoka School was the inspiration behind ground-breaking "classrooms of the future" built by Hastings company Cottages New Zealand.
Cottages New Zealand managing director John Roil said Patoka School wanted little disruption to the school during construction, and it made the company re-develop their techniques.
"Basically, it's a modern version of prefabrication and modulisation with the ability to construct off site," he said. "A huge component as well is energy efficiency - so using solar panels - and also the IT component."
Features of the classrooms also include self-dimming lights, interactive white boards, projectors and graffiti-proof walls.
Patoka School principal Adam Cels said the main attraction to the new type of classroom was the efficiency with which it was installed - five times faster than other refurbishments.
"The whole process from the first phone call to using it was about 12 weeks," he said. "It was very efficient dealing with Cottages to get it here, the other work we had done on the school was a lot, lot more time consuming."
Mr Roil said last night's launch of a prototype at the company's Maraekakaho Rd workroom attracted more than 60 students, principals and boards of trustees from local schools, who expressed interest and offered suggestions for other features.
Frimley Primary School principal Malcolm Dixon said the classrooms were a "wonderful concept".
"They won't be anywhere as disruptive for schools when they come on board because they are constructed in the factory then delivered," he said. "There is a fair amount of flexibility, which means different age groups can have a class that suits their needs."
He also praised the forward thinking in relation to solar-panel use: "It's just a really good idea, and having the solar panels that produce power - if they can have that they can put the schools on the national grid, or whatever it goes on to, and it would be huge savings for schools and be good for the environment."
Mr Roil said based on the feedback, the final prototype would be finished by September 1.
He expected from the time of ordering to the time of use of the latest models would take about five weeks.