Teaching students aged 11 to 16, the school acts as a stepping stone for those entering the English school system from abroad.
Walters & Cohen Architects developed the designs for a three-storey building that wraps around a private courtyard.
The new building, situated next to the historical Malthouse, comprises 34 en suite bedrooms with boarding for 80 students, several flats for staff, classrooms and specialist teaching facilities.
The landscape connects the many elements of the site; a civic square shared with the Malthouse is a focal point of the campus. Domestic gardens bound two other sides of the college building, and the new sports court will be used by the college, King’s School and the local community.
Cindy Walters, director at Walters & Cohen Architects, said: “We are so pleased to see the students and teachers settling in well and enjoying their new building. It was absolutely crucial for us that the new International College became a seamless addition to the school very quickly, and that the design sits neatly within the landscape of the existing site.”
“Many of the facilities act as a home-from-home for the students, so we needed to create spaces where they could live, study and socialise as comfortably as possible. As an international college, communal spaces where students can meet and interact with their fellow students are very important, which is why we designed the building to wrap around a central courtyard space, with corridors that look out onto it.
“Many of the students gather here as a meeting place, and use it for open-air presentations, plays and recitals. It is a joy to see.”
Find out more about The King’s School, Canterbury: www.kings-school.co.uk
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