King’s School Centennial Project
The building binds together the past and the future of the King’s School campus through a strategy of connection with existing buildings and new pedagogy. This space deliberately brings the activities of teaching and learning directly in to the circulation pattern of the school, thereby replicating the real world of university facilities and the contemporary workplace; places in which noise, interruption and ambient activity are seen as positive additions to focus rather than distractions.
The King's School Centennial Project aims to lead King’s School into the 21st Century with a forward looking and highly contemporary answer to a very current question: “How do students most effectively learn today and how can this environment adjust to constant change in a rapidly changing world”.
“There were many planning discussions with Warren and Mahoney, and multiple requirements to consider, but core to the brief was the importance of human relationships within a school environment, particularly those between student and teacher. What we have in this building is a flexible environment that encourages collaboration with others, while at the same time providing more intimate spaces for individual and reflective learning. This is achieved without losing the strong personal relationship between each individual student and his teacher. It’s the best of both worlds,” Tony Sissons, Headmaster, King's School.
"Conservative yet also progressive, this design clearly articulates King’s School’s desire for a learning environment that would create a positive pedagogical impact. The well-resolved design incorporates open, flexible and specialised teaching areas that support strong student engagement and interactivity. By opening to Portland Road, the project also shows generosity to the public realm." - 2018 NZIA Auckland Architecture Awards Citation.
