Covered Outdoor Learning Area Between Two Classroom Blocks
A primary school in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland wants a covered outdoor learning area for 30 children. The site is 12 m × 9 m between two classroom blocks, with a 1.8 m wide pedestrian route running through it. Prevailing wind is from the southwest; annual rainfall is about 1,200 mm. The budget is NZ$120,000. The school wants it usable in light rain but not fully enclosed. Health and safety rules require no climbable structures below 1.8 m and clear sightlines from the staffroom. The ground is asphalt with poor drainage. The school roll is 420, and the area will be used for messy art, science, and kapa haka practice. The staffroom window is 15 m from the site and faces northeast.
1. Propose a roof form and orientation, and justify with reference to sun, wind, and rain.
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Use a mono-pitch roof sloping up toward the north, with a 15° pitch. Auckland's sun is north; a high north edge with a 1.2 m overhang admits winter sun deep into the space while the overhang blocks high summer sun. A clear polycarbonate or opal sheeting over the learning zone gives diffuse daylight without glare. Slope the roof to a gutter on the south edge, away from the prevailing southwest wind, so rain does not blow into the seating area. A 15° pitch sheds the 1,200 mm annual rainfall quickly and allows a 100 mm gutter and two 80 mm downpipes to the existing stormwater.
On the southwest side, add a 1.1 m high solid screen or planting, not a full wall: it blocks the prevailing wind at child height but keeps the space open and preserves sightlines from the staffroom. The north side stays open. This is a 'light rain' shelter, not a sealed room. Do not use a flat roof: ponding risk on a 12 × 9 m span and the budget will not cover a structural fall. The trade-off is that a mono-pitch has a taller north edge, which may need consent as a boundary structure.
2. Explain how you would resolve the conflict between the pedestrian route and the learning space.
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Do not route the 1.8 m path through the middle of the learning area. Move it to the western edge, alongside one classroom block, and treat it as a covered veranda rather than a corridor through the room. That keeps the 12 × 9 m site's eastern 9 × 9 m as a distinct learning zone. Separate the two with a 600 mm wide planted strip or a 900 mm high bench/planter, not a fence, so sightlines from the staffroom remain clear and the route is still visible.
Keep the 1.8 m clear width at all times; do not let bags or furniture encroach. Use a different ground surface on the path (e.g., rubber or coloured concrete) so children read it as 'through' space. Where the path meets the learning zone, provide a 1.5 m turning area and a gate-free opening. If the school insists the path must run through, use a 2.4 m high roof over the path with a 1.8 m clear height, and place the learning clusters on either side. The first option is better because it avoids the conflict rather than managing it.