Knox School of Theology

Strategy

Opportunity

Since its beginnings as a small pastoral training center in Mbale, Knox School of Theology has grown to serve students from across East and West Africa. As the school moved toward accredited degree programs, its existing facilities could no longer support its ambitions: administration spaces were limited, classrooms were small, and the library could not accommodate the school’s growing academic resources.

At the same time, the school saw an opportunity beyond simply adding buildings. Its newly acquired land could become a campus that supported education, community outreach, conferences, recreation, and future growth—while remaining connected to the rural landscape and the surrounding community.

Response

IDD developed a phased masterplan that brings the existing and newly acquired properties together around a clear pedestrian spine, creating a connected campus that can grow with the school over the next 10–15 years. New administration and classroom buildings form the academic heart, while green courtyards and covered terraces give students places to study, talk, pray, and simply be together. An amphitheater and sports field extend the life of the campus beyond the classroom, creating shared spaces where students, staff and local residents can gather, celebrate, and build a stronger sense of community.

The plan is shaped around the everyday lives of the people who use it. A relocated kitchen improves working conditions, while a shaded children’s play area nearby allows staff to remain close to their children as they work. New accommodation gives faculty, families, and guests a place to feel at home, while revenue-generating accommodation helps sustain the school’s fee-free education model. In this way, the campus becomes more than a place of learning—it becomes a place of care, opportunity, and belonging, supporting not only the students who study there but also the families and wider community whose lives are connected to it.

Sustainability

The masterplan responds directly to Mbale’s climate and challenging site conditions. Building orientation, courtyards, skylights, and clerestory windows are used to increase natural light, while a coordinated drainage strategy, rainwater storage, and landscape-based water management respond to the site’s heavy rainfall and high groundwater conditions.

Impact

The masterplan gives Knox School of Theology a framework for growing without losing its sense of place. It supports the school’s move toward accredited theological education, creates spaces for students and faculty to learn and live together, and opens new opportunities for conferences, worship, recreation, and community events. More than a collection of new buildings, the campus is planned as an environment where education, ministry, hospitality, and community life can grow together.