A ten-minute timelapse video of a house being built at Ara's Woolston trades campus is giving students a unique insight into the construction process.

Tutor Sam Holland made the video on his Go Pro camera for his Level 3 carpentry students. It shows the students and tutors at every stage of the build, from the foundations and framing to laying the roof and hanging Gib.

Holland says: “It’s been great for a bunch of reasons, like showing students at the start of the year what the stages of the build are, and then later in the year, giving them a sense of pride when they show their family and friends what they’ve been up to."

Holland set up his camera each morning, letting the students know he was filming them. The footage shows both exterior and interior scenes over several weeks.

The filming proved useful in unexpected ways. “It helped us pay attention to certain areas of what we did, so that we were able to reflect on whether it was the best way to do it,” Holland says. “For example, setting up the scaffolding; it helped us iron out the little niggles of what wasn’t working.”

Building houses is a key aspect of training for Ara trades students across various disciplines including carpentry, electrical, plumbing, painting and decorating. Once completed, the homes are sold and moved to the buyer’s section.

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