Plymouth, Devon, UK.
This new church was built on the site of an earlier Victorian church which had become outdated and unmanageable. Grainge Architects designed a highly flexible replacement to better suit the needs of modern times, catering for traditional worship but also facilitating wider community usage.
Sliding space dividers enable the interior to be arranged in various configurations to suit different functions. The distinctive, copper-clad roof with its steep pitch and clerestory glazing provides a contemporary interpretation of ecclesiastical architecture. Some features from the original church were incorporated into the new building, notably the stained glass window.
The replacement church was provided through an enlightened deal with a developer: the new church was provided at no cost by the developer, while the remainder of the site was used for housing (also designed by Grainge Architects). This principle was used as a model for other similar arrangements across the country.
