The community hoped to create a visually exciting building that would act as an attractor. The new building is seen as a seminal project - modest in scale but high in ambition. It had be prominent within its high street setting - at the same time, it had to be considered carefully. The space requirements for the new church implied an increase of volume in relation to the existing building. In order to assess the impact, shadow studies were carried to establish an appropriate volume for the church that would allow the additional new community spaces without overshadowing the neighbour¬ing properties.

A new coherent envelope unites both church hall and ancillary spaces into one simple and iconic form. The new facade addresses the street. For the building envelope large format brass shingles are proposed. The shingles have a reddish golden surface similar to copper. Weathering changes the original reddish golden colour of the surface in a very lively manner, with each facade developing its own unique characteristics.

Client: Glad Tidings Christian Church
Gross Floor Area: 420m2

Architects: Mueller Kneer Associates / Olaf Kneer, Marianne Mueller
Team: Marianne Mueller, Olaf Kneer, Yacira Blanco, Kok Loong Wong, Helena Stolpe

Structural Engineer: BdR Consulting Engineers
Environmental Engineers: Battle McCarthy Consulting
Engineers Cladding: KME / TECU Brass