Lyttelton Unlimited extends beyond Christchurch and looks to rethink the role a school plays in a community. Specifically the interests of Kurt Hahn’s Outward Bound are adopted in the design. Many schooling curriculum are still based on the interests of industrialism where Unlimited encourages students to explore personal ideas and interests surrounded by environments suited for the outdoors in Lyttelton.

The site neighbours the Lyttelton Pools and Lyttelton Main School sharing the public field and connecting the Gaol Steps to the adjacent streets; Oxford Street and St Davids Street. Originally housing a prison, the site holds some of the earliest brick and concrete construction dating back to 1857 where prisoners assisted the construction of the township and many local buildings on London Street. The building exposes the concrete in an inverted structure, opening itself to the site and promoting the outward focus of learning.

The school design focuses on creating learning environments within the building but also in the outdoors. Two HUB sites connect Lyttelton Unlimited to surrounding communities and environments where hands-on learning, collaboration and divergent thinking are encouraged. These HUB sites also have secondary roles in providing Lyttelton with opportunity to research and assist environmental practice such as water treatment, recycling and planting trees.

Many facilities such as office administration can be shared with Lyttelton Main School. Public sporting fields, libraries, cafés and entertainment are shared within the township encouraging students to become active in the local and extended communities.

Location