The Quarterhouse was the first built part of a masterplan for the Folkestone harbour area produced by architects Foster and Partners.

[2] In August 2007, a hearing at Shepway District Council Committee culminated in a unanimous vote to award planning permission for a new building at the site, previously occupied by a builder's yard.

Inspired by scallop shells, the fluted mesh cladding is backlit at night bookending a curved east façade of Georgian buildings on Tontine Street.

Yoko Ono’s Skyladder, installed for the 2014 Triennial, is an ‘instruction’ work, an invitation to the people of Folkestone, exhibited in the Quarterhouse Bar.

Comprising 16 vertical gothic wooden tree-like forms, creating a cathedral-like visitor centre for the café bar, it is now a permanent part of the Creative Folkestone Artworks collection.