UK studio Jestico + Whiles has unveiled the John Gray School in the Cayman Islands, which also functions as a community space and hurricane shelter.
Located in George Town on Grand Cayman, the school for 1,200 pupils was built on the site of a partially complete project that was abandoned in the early 2000s.
Along with a school, the building is designed to function as a community centre and has a shelter for use during major storms.
Jestico + Whiles has completed the John Gray School in the Cayman Islands
"Long promised and left abandoned for nearly a decade, the completion of this new building is a visible sign of the value the Cayman Islands places on its next generation," said Jestico + Whiles associate director Julie Désormiers. "As the largest state school in the Cayman Islands, the building functions as a central hub for the community beyond its primary function as a school for 1,200 students," she told Dezeen.
"Events, celebrations, concerts, and theatre performances are regularly held in the new performance hall, with capacity for a 400-person audience."
A large central space connects the various wings
Jestico + Whiles designed the school to link four existing structures on the site into one large building.
A large space at the centre of the school contains an open-plan canteen, as well as a domed, timber-lined library on stilts. From here, classroom wings extend to connect to the old structures.
The north wing contains teaching areas...