Science Building at Leigh Marine

The new, three-storey science building provides offices, breakout meeting spaces, an open plan office for graduate students and a dedicated plant room where the infrastructure for the entire facility is located. Having all staff and students in one building has lead to a more integrated and collaborative workspace. The advances in security procedures have meant that research work can be undertaken with minimal interruption. The new buildings have replaced the existing structures that have been on site since the 1970s.

The original design brief was to double lab and office space. This has been achieved, while at the same time allowing for changes in future use. The increased amount of space will allow for growth in postgraduate numbers.

The project build cost for the bunkroom/workshop block, the science centre and the visitor centre is $10 million. The upgrad was funded by a donation of $4.6 million from the Edith Blackwell Winstone Trust, other donations from private donors and The University of Auckland.

The last phase of the building project was the completion of the visitor centre. The centre manages display structures, public interactions and communicates the University values of research and educational leadership in marine science to the public and schools. It depicts processes within the ocean, exhibits marine research undertaken at The University of Auckland and provides hands-on tuition for school groups, that interfaces with the NCEA curriculum.

Visit the Leigh Marine Visitor Centre (Edith Winstone Blackwell Interpretive Centre) website