project profile

Over the past two years, Furnware Account Manager, Ian Johnstone, worked alongside Cobham Intermediate Principal, Eddie Norgate, on furnishing the new build site, following damage during the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.
 
Cobham Intermediate offers education for year 7 and 8 students in Christchurch, New Zealand. The school’s vision is to facilitate a school for the future with learning programmes that focus on the needs of 21^st century learners. Eddie acknowledges that not all students are the same and therefore do not all learn in the same way.

The school considered utilising their existing furniture, a collection of mismatched desks and chairs. But, to facilitate a cohesive and uniform look within the school, they decided to furnish all spaces with Furnware furniture. The spaces included the learning environments, technology block, staff room, and hall seating.

For the traditional learning spaces, the school opted for Odyssey Single Tote Desks, Paparoa tables, Teachers Hubs, Bodyfurn Lab Stools, and Bodyfurn Sled chairs. Eddie said, “Teachers arrange the desks as needed – whether in rows or groups – while still being quite traditional.”
 
Alternatively, for the modern learning spaces, the school selected our Switch Table System, Base Curve Tables paired with Base Curve Couches, Teachers Hubs, Book Towers, and Terrace Box Seating to create tiered options. The Switch Table System is a popular modular table option for dynamic learning. “Teachers and students collaborate closely in these spaces, manipulating the furniture to work for them,” said Eddie. The colour palette was kept simple with natural wood, silver, dark blue and grey tones. Within the flexible learning spaces, pops of colour were introduced with the Soft Seating and Terrace Box Seating.