Description:

Education First (EF) is a global education company that provides language training, educational travel, academic programs, and cultural exchange to help people of all ages learn and explore the world. With schools in over 50 cities worldwide, EF strives to celebrate the unique identity of each location by developing design concepts that reference the local environment and community. This global yet deeply place-specific approach ensures every EF campus offers a distinctive, immersive experience for students.

Relocating from their former premises on Fort Street to a stunning new site atop Auckland’s Princes Wharf has enabled EF to expand its presence in New Zealand, welcoming more international students to improve their English and experience local life. With panoramic views across the Waitematā Harbour, surrounding islands, and the city skyline, EF Auckland was designed to fuse effective learning with social connection, while celebrating the character of Tāmaki Makaurau. This is not just a school, it’s a dynamic base from which students can explore Aotearoa, its stories, its landscapes, and its global connections.

The design concept draws directly from the region’s maritime identity. We created custom joinery units from shipping container panels, a nod to Auckland’s bustling port industry and its role in shaping the city’s economy and character. These functional design elements became the starting point for a wider design language that embraces adaptability, durability and storytelling. To balance the strength of this industrial expression, the design also incorporates soft textures, warm finishes and natural tones drawn from the surrounding landscape. Greens and blues referencing New Zealand’s flora and coastal environment introduce calm and warmth, creating spaces that feel both robust and welcoming at the same time. The result is an environment that mirrors the school's ethos: a grounded, resilient base that supports exploration, creativity, confidence and human connection. The industrial meets the organic, the durable meets the nurturing, this is an interior that is as inspiring as it is functional.

What elevates this project is the way design was used not only to serve function, but to embody EF’s purpose and values for our people and communities. EF Auckland stands as a testament to how thoughtful, place-based design can enhance emotional and cultural connection through its physical space.

We’ve worked hard to achieve the true vision of Education First, which is to immerse students in the local environment and community, changing how they see themselves, each other and the world around them. We hope the lives of students are transformed by providing an incredible place to learn a language, absorb the culture and experience diverse thoughts and beliefs. With each student or traveller, a ripple effect of greater understanding is created, which can have a lasting positive impact on our world.