Jasmax worked closely with AUT to place the student experience at the heart of design. Features highlighting the building’s low energy use and sustainability include a dramatic light reflector at level 7 of the atrium which pushes light down to the lowest levels of the building. Undergraduate mechanical engineering students are invited to ​‘test’ the operable BMS and air-conditioning systems in the level 4 project studio, where they can observe different air conditioning technologies in action.

Internally, the structure and services are on display. Finishing materials like concrete, plywood and perforated galvanised steel are designed to take the hard knocks which a building designed for around 5,000 student occupants will be subject to, and to provide a raw, robust character that differentiates the building from others at AUT. It also includes a wide range of social collaborative and study spaces.

Laboratories cater for wet, dirty, clean and dry engineering activities along with well-defined safe equipment movement routes, and ample storage to enable mobile and palletised engineering teaching and research equipment to be swapped in and out for streamlined programme delivery. These highly dynamic spaces are overlooked from publicly accessible circulation routes intended to showcase AUT’s innovative approach. 

A ​‘Flexibility and Adaptability Report’ was prepared on Ngā Wai Hono by Jasmax for AUT. This document describes the ​‘long-life, loose fit’ approach to provision of space, structure, services and infrastructure for this multi-use and complex building. By outlining exactly how it is designed to be adapted in the long term, this legacy document enables changes to occur with minimal disruption and maximum benefit in the future.