Design and Planning
Being a faith school, St Mary’s wished to offer an appropriate place of worship for pupils and visitors alike. The Client chose to construct the chapel using an oak frame wrapped within a softwood framed enclosure.
I worked closely with the school’s facilities manager to determine an approach to the construction which best suited both him and the school. The building regulations drawings were produced in accordance with our discussions and co-ordinated with “Oakwrights” who provided both the green oak frame and the softwood framed envelope.
The chapel, although modest in scale, can comfortably seat over 50 people and also includes office, storage and private space offering similar functions to a larger church.
The design ensures ample daylight to the chapel naïve through green oak framed fully glazed wall at one end with the alter beautifully back-lit at the opposite end of the main space. The entrance porch and secondary rooms, including a side chapel, flank the naïve in deference to the traditional architectural hierarchy.
Outcome
The Client was delighted with the completed build stating that the construction process was considerably eased by the presence of the detailed building regulations drawings. The chapel is a very popular addition to the school environment offering a variety of functions and is used daily.
