Work has started on Westminster School’s first international institution in China.
Chengdu Westminster School will accommodate 2,000 students and is due to be handed over to its operator, Chengdu Westminster Technology Company, in Autumn 2020.
The school has been designed by Broadway Malyan to reflect the architecture of its UK cousin and will feature stone-clad buildings, pillars and buttresses that echo the design of the 10th century Abbey.
Some of the great icons of London form the backdrop for Westminster School and our design approach makes reference to this context and the school’s British heritage
At the centre of the new Chengdu campus is Little Dean’s Yard, a courtyard that references a square of the same name found at the heart of the London school.
This brand-new, state-of-the-art campus will also feature a 1,000-seat theatre, art and music pavilions, a black-box theatre with 300 retractable seats, and exhibition halls. There are also 70 music practice rooms, three indoor sports halls, a 50m swimming pool, five tennis courts, two outdoor pitches and a purpose-built dining hall.
The all-through boarding school will cater for children from Kindergarten to age 18. It has accommodation arranged into ‘family’ groups which each have their own shared kitchen, gym, study, lounge, courtyard and social hub.
Ben Somner, Broadway Malyan director of architecture, said: “International schools of this nature have been an emerging typology in recent years, and we have worked closely with Westminster School to design a school that mirrors its educational ethos and values within a world-class learning environment.
“Some of the great icons of London form the backdrop for Westminster School and our design approach makes reference to this context and the school’s British heritage.”
