Plans to renovate all the classrooms at Kiwitea School became a reality in mid 2022 with the installation of four stylish new Educated Furniture whiteboard cabinets. This was an exciting and ambitious project for Principal Jane Portman and her small rural school in the Manawatu.
Planning Process
Consultation and planning for the Kiwitea classroom renovations began over two years ago when Jono Mills (Lower North Island Account Manager) met with recently appointed Principal Jane Portman to discuss their requirements. Various whiteboard cabinet configurations were explored during the consultation process.
Whiteboard Cabinet Solution
Ultimately a combination of electronic device storage and cupboard units were agreed upon, providing the school with the usable storage space they needed and an excellent collaborative work space in each classroom. Jane and her team were after a clean and modern look for the classrooms so the cabinets were ordered in a combination of Storm and Smoke Strand melteca.
In order to separate adjoining Classrooms 2 and 3, two of the whiteboard cabinets were placed back to back under a large beam. This created a new ‘wall’ and two defined learning areas, however the beam between the classrooms did not allow for the installation of the standard 2000mm high cabinets. The units were therefore custom built at a reduced height to fit perfectly under the beam. Ultimately, a fixed wall would then be installed on one side of the whiteboard cabinets and a sliding glass door on the other.
Whiteboard Cabinet Installation
New tiling was due to be installed, however this was scheduled to happen after the whiteboard cabinets went in. In order to avoid shifting the cabinets after installation, Jono arrived on delivery day to cut out and remove sections of the old carpet so that the cabinets could be placed directly on the floor. Jono further assisted the school by arranging for RCBO (circuit breakers) to be installed inside the device storage units of the whiteboard cabinets. This provided a safe, tidy and permanent solution to plug the power boards into.
The Final Product
Jane and her team were delighted with the quality of the new cabinets and noted how impressed they were with the EF in-house delivery service and the assistance Jono provided to ensure installation was a success.
