Arohanui School is dedicated to meeting the unique learning needs of students aged 5 to 21 in the West Auckland area. The school offers 28 classes across 13 sites, and has recently constructed their newest premises in Henderson. Located on a former commercial site, the project involved a renovation of the ground floor to create a new layout including a student kitchen, staff kitchen, arts and crafts room, laundry, and bathrooms for staff and accessible users — all needing plumbing access. With limited access to gravity, drainage the Sanicubic 2 VX lifting station was specified to provide a smart, safe pumping solution.

“The Arohanui project was unique because the base building was originally designed as a commercial office, featuring traditional gravity drainage that was limited to narrow sections of its large 640 square metre floor area,” explains Ray Yee, Senior Project Engineer, Agile.

This became an obstacle when it came to incorporating all the wet services. “The project was originally designed to use the building’s gravity system, but within days of construction commencing, the plumbing sub-trade’s site investigations found the existing drainage unable to accommodate the original Agile design,” says Ray. “The plumbing sub-trade recommended that a pump solution be adopted to overcome the constraints associated with the drainage.” 

Agile turned to Saniflo SFA to find a solution that would minimise any potential changes to the floor plan. “We implemented an innovative plumbing and hydraulic design that allows multiple fixtures to connect to the Sanicubic 2 VX lifting station,” says Ray. “This pump was an ideal solution, compact and capable of processing a substantial amount of incoming waste with its powerful twin motor and efficiently ejecting it to the existing base building drainage system.” This effectively minimises the risk of blockages which can be more common in high-use buildings such as schools. 

To enhance safety and provide protection from potential flooding, the Sanicubic 2 VX lifting station was paired with the Sanialarm Interlock alarm system. “This module adds a failsafe feature by triggering an audible alarm in the event of a high-level fault,” explains Ray. “Simultaneously, it isolates the water supply to plumbing fixtures groups and power to all connected appliances, such as the staff kitchen dishwasher and laundry washing machine, effectively eliminating any risk of flooding to the tenancy.” 

Incorporating the Saniflo SFA system, ensured that 90% of the original design could be retained, with amenities connected to the pump instead of the gravity line. This helped keep the project on track and ensured a fantastic outcome for Arohanui School — a new premises with all the amenities needed for students and staff. 

“We were pleased that the Saniflo SFA solution enabled us to overcome a significant design challenge whilst satisfying the functional requirements of the client,” says Ray.