A rhythm of angular roof forms and repeated window openings reinterprets the proportions of the historic precinct in a confident contemporary language. Perforated brick provides screening for the practice room balconies, adding depth while allowing music to drift across the campus when doors are open—an expressive quality that has earned this element the fitting nickname “Speaker Box”.

Within a highly efficient footprint, drama, music and dance are brought together through state-of-the-art practice and recording suites, light-filled dance studios, dedicated drum, orchestra and rock rooms, and a 250-seat black box theatre. Transformative for the school, Toi Manawa is more than a performing arts centre: it is a vibrant social hub where students gather, express themselves and connect through music and the arts.