Christ's College

DSDHA led the design of a new £33m flagship educational campus in Guildford, bringing together Christ’s College Church of England Secondary School with Pond Meadow School.

Christ’s College is a 700-place Church of England School where one front door welcomes all pupils, staff and visitors into the central Atrium, creating a strong focus for the school community and embodying a vision of the school as ‘One House’ with spiritual and pastoral values. Faculties benefit from an exceptionally high standard of teaching spaces and facilities, which will assist the College in realising its ambition to become a specialist College for Sports and the Performing Arts. The Sports Hall and Theatre were specified to professional standards and are also used by community groups and specialist clubs in the local area.

Christ‘s College incorporates a technical innovation that places student wellbeing at the fore. Classroom heat recovery and ventilation systems are built into the façade of the building and, using heat transfer, they create a well-balanced environment for students, allowing fresh air into the classrooms all year round. The external “breathing wall” adapts traditional masonry technology to create a dynamic environmental façade which integrates the heat recovery units in the classrooms. The wall is perforated to create a ‘contemporary dovecote’ which allows the air to pass through the brickwork façade.

“The building is intelligently designed, well built, well equipped and has lived up to all expectations.”

Stephen Green, Head Teacher, Christ’s College