The college has eight college houses: Alston, Clarke, Clayton, Fleming, Hill, Hodgson, Nash and Thomson.
Sir Herbert Baker designed the new Houghton school buildings and initially used rough-hewn quartzite quarried on the site, but subsequently rock was sourced from Krugersdorp and hand-chased by Maltese craftsmen.
The school is arranged around a number of quadrangles, each with its cloisters.
Leonard Fleming later worked with Baker on certain of the buildings.

The college has two chapels, a main one and a crypt chapel.
Construction began in 1915 on the Crypt Chapel designed by Fleming  as a foundation for the main chapel.
The Crypt Chapel seats about 100 pupils, and is adjacent to the Garden of Remembrance.
Each House of the college has a week in which it is to attend the chapel service in the crypt.
Above the Crypt Chapel is the War Memorial Chapel.
The superstructure was completed in June 1924 and dedicated in 1926 to commemorate staff and pupils who fell in battle.
Inside the War Memorial Chapel is the Delville Wood (All Souls) Memorial Chapel, which houses one of only five Delville Wood crosses in the world, entrusted to the school by the 3rd Regiment South African Infantry.
It seats about 500 pupils, including staff, and has a fully functioning pipe organ and a choir gallery at the rear of the chapel above the main entrance.
Its pipe organ is the largest of its kind in South Africa.
The college has eight college houses: Alston, Clarke, Clayton, Fleming, Hill, Hodgson, Nash and Thomson. Sir Herbert Baker designed the new Houghton school buildings and initially used rough-hewn quartzite quarried on the site, but subsequently rock was sourced from Krugersdorp and hand-chased by Maltese craftsmen. The school is arranged around a number of quadrangles, each with its cloisters. Leonard Fleming later worked with Baker on certain of the buildings.
The college has two chapels, a main one and a crypt chapel. Construction began in 1915 on the Crypt Chapel designed by Fleming  as a foundation for the main chapel. The Crypt Chapel seats about 100 pupils, and is adjacent to the Garden of Remembrance. Each House of the college has a week in which it is to attend the chapel service in the crypt. Above the Crypt Chapel is the War Memorial Chapel. The superstructure was completed in June 1924 and dedicated in 1926 to commemorate staff and pupils who fell in battle. Inside the War Memorial Chapel is the Delville Wood (All Souls) Memorial Chapel, which houses one of only five Delville Wood crosses in the world, entrusted to the school by the 3rd Regiment South African Infantry. It seats about 500 pupils, including staff, and has a fully functioning pipe organ and a choir gallery at the rear of the chapel above the main entrance. Its pipe organ is the largest of its kind in South Africa.
St John's College, Johannesburg