Open Christchurch: The Cathedral Grammar Junior School

The Cathedral Grammar Junior School: Discover Japanese-influenced timber architecture and a playground in the sky
Free

Open Christchurch invites the public to discover their city through architecture with free, one-off access to special buildings, and a range of themed walking tours.

We kick off our winter programme with The Cathedral Grammar Junior School, which opens its doors and its rooftop playground to the public of all ages for one day only on Sunday 30 June.

Designed by Tezuka Architects (Japan) and Andrew Barrie Lab (Auckland), The Cathedral Grammar Junior School is built at a scale that children can appreciate. With classrooms in an quadrangle enclosing a central courtyard, and a slide connecting the rooftop playground to the courtyard, the school was designed to create a ‘home away from home’ for the students.

Many of the school’s key spaces are outdoors. So if the weather is fine, make sure you try the slide and get a view from above.

Come along and enjoy the behind-the-scenes access between 10am and 4pm, when you can encounter this special building on your own terms and at your own pace. See first-hand how school architecture shapes the experience for the children who attend it.

Two very different inner-city school buildings open in the weeks that follow: the stunning heritage building, Christ’s College Memorial Dining Hall on Sunday 4 August ; and Ao Tawhiti, Christchurch’s only ‘vertical’ school, on Saturday 7 September.

Experience the impact of good design in our city and how well-designed places can improve people’s lives.

Open Christchurch runs from 30 June–7 September, with one event per week for eleven weeks.

Visit our website (teputahi.org.nz) for further details.

Photo of Cathedral Grammar Junior School by Patrick Reynolds