The campus site covers approximately two hectares with 21,500sqm assigned floor
area (afa) of teaching and research space spread across four existing buildings;
501, 502, 503 and 504. Erected in the late 1960's – mid 1970's in the ‘Brutalist’
style they vary between five and six storeys.
The buildings are perceived by users to be harsh, inaccessible and inhospitable,
in part due to the extensive and repetitive use of exposed concrete. Internally,
the buildings have undergone patchy and uncoordinated alteration over the last forty
years and as a result the spaces are outdated and inflexible. The finishes are tired
and worn, generally not in step with acceptable modern teaching and lab standards.
The buildings have also been criticised for having no 'flow' – they are poorly connected
to one another, requiring large numbers of students to travel vertically to stacked
lecture theatres and having limited direct connection to useful outdoor spaces with
any amenity.
The faculty embraces five schools: the School of Medicine, the School of Medical Sciences,
the School of Pharmacy, the School of Nursing and the School of Population Health
which is located off site on the Tamaki Campus. Over the years this faculty has
grown beyond its capacity on this site, and whilst the School of Population Health
is located permanently off site at Tamaki, the School of Nursing and the Faculty
Administration are currently housed in temporary accommodation awaiting relocation
back onto site.
In addition, the Grafton Campus accommodates the Faculty of Science's School of Optometry,
including a publicly accessible Optometry Clinic. There is also a direct association
of the Grafton Campus with the Liggins Institute which is located on a separate
site on Park Avenue. The majority of the schools accommodated at the Grafton Campus
are experiencing growth in teaching numbers.
Furthermore, The University of Auckland Strategic Plan 2005-2012 has identified a
need to double the University’s research income by 2012. As the faculty currently
has the largest research output at the University, some physical growth is required
to meet the increases in teaching and research.
