Auckland Girls' Grammar School Gym
Auckland Girls' Grammar School Gym
The Auckland Girls' Grammar School gymnasium in Freemans Bay, Auckland, is a busy school sports hall that was refurbished in 2025. DLM Architects led the design, and RCC Construction carried out the build.
The brief was a full refit of the gym's wall and ceiling linings. This was a refurbishment rather than a new build, so the new linings had to bring an existing space up to current fire compliance while giving it a fresh finish. That finish had to meet the fire safety rules for a public school building, stand up to years of hard court use, and still feel warm and light rather than institutional.
Why birch ply for a school gym
Plymasters Euro Birch Multiply was specified for the wall and ceiling linings, supplied in 12mm sheets. It is a B/BB grade decorative panel with a clean, near defect-free face. That matters across large gym walls, where any flaw in the timber would show. The premium face gives complete visual consistency across the full space.
The 12mm cross-laminated birch also brings the strength the job needs. Birch multiply is built from many thin birch veneers glued in alternating directions, which is where its strength and screw-holding come from. A gym takes a beating from stray balls and everyday student use, so the linings have to hold up. That construction gives high impact resistance and strong screw-holding power, which makes it a practical, durable choice for a room in constant use.
Meeting the fire rating with an intumescent coating
Public education spaces have strict fire safety obligations under the New Zealand Building Code. The gym needed a Group 1-S surface rating on its linings, without giving up the timber look the design was built around.
Euro Birch Multiply is a decorative panel, not a fire-rated product in its raw state. To meet the code, an intumescent coating was applied to the birch. The coating swells and forms a protective barrier when it is exposed to heat, which slows flame spread across the surface in a fire. This achieved the required Group 1-S rating while keeping the birch face on show.
Coating the birch, rather than swapping in a separate fire-rated board, meant one panel could run across both the walls and the ceiling. That kept the detailing simple and the finish uniform across the whole gym.
It is the same approach taken on the Francis Douglas Memorial College gym in New Plymouth: resolve the fire performance in the lining itself, so the space keeps one consistent timber finish throughout.
A light-filled, consistent finish
With a clear coat over the birch, the walls and ceiling hold a warm, modern, light-filled look. The pale birch face lifts the visual volume of the room and reflects light, which suits a large hall used for everything from PE classes to assemblies. Because the linings run across the full gymnasium, that consistency across walls and ceiling was central to the finished result.
“Plymasters provided a quality 12mm Birch Plywood product. Their premium B/BB grade plywood face is virtually free of face defects. This ensures complete visual consistency across large-scale gymnasium walls, while offering the strong screw-holding power and impact durability required for high-use school environments.”
- Steve Clapham, Director, DLM Architects
Questions about fire-rated birch linings
Can Euro Birch Multiply achieve a Group 1-S fire rating?
Not on its own. Euro Birch Multiply is a decorative B/BB grade panel supplied in its raw state. On the Auckland Girls' Grammar gym it achieved a Group 1-S rating once an intumescent coating was applied to the birch face. The coating provides the fire performance; the birch provides the look and the durability.
Is birch plywood durable enough for a school gymnasium?
Yes. The 12mm cross-laminated birch used here offers high impact resistance and strong screw-holding power, so it stands up to stray balls and heavy day-to-day use. Its near defect-free B/BB face also keeps a consistent appearance across long wall runs.
Can you keep the natural timber look while meeting fire compliance?
Yes. Applying an intumescent coating, rather than switching to a different lining material, lets the birch face stay visible. The gym met its Group 1-S obligation and kept the warm, light timber finish the design called for.
Products used
Euro Birch Multiply (12mm), with an intumescent coating to achieve Group 1-S. Used on the gymnasium wall and ceiling linings.
Professionals involved
Architect: DLM Architects
Builder: RCC Construction
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