Change or Decay?

TRANSFORMING SPACE TRANSFORMING LIVES


Alex Coppock Communion Design

Change or Decay ?

Change or Decay ?

Question

Change?

‘not leaving the tradition but driving to it’s heart’

Gerald Arbuckle, Refounding the Church

There are 425 churches within the Diocese of Hereford. Over 90% of

them are listed Grade 1, 2* or 2. The total population of the Diocese is

285,000. National figures suggest that only 5% of people will regularly

attend church. The sad truth is that the average weekly congregation

for the vast majority of rural churches in Hereford Diocese is in single

figures.

Context

‘...we have this difficulty of vast spaces with really small numbers of

people in.’

(CHALLENGER 12.02.11)

Impact

‘I think that what is sad, is that 2 or 3 churches over the last few years

have become redundant because the cost of repairing them has just

become astronomical and not achievable by those communities.’


‘Once you get to a stage where a PCC reaches that desperation with lots

to do and walks away from it, it is actually too late then to do anything

about it.’


Impact

‘The greatest problems arise when large buildings, built for needs which

cease to exist, become vacant’.

(DoE CIRCULAR 8/87 PARAS 20-21)

Vision

The PCC of St Peter’s Church were approached by the local authority with the possibility of re-ordering the church and using the nave as a community centre, primarily to work with young parents and children

under the Sure Start programme.

After much negotiation and community consultation the PCC agreed that St Peter’s church should be re-ordered to create a sustainable,

multi-use community building, designed to function as:• Service delivery centre for children’s services • Worship space for Anglican

services• Community event space• Public lending library

Constraints

Funds:The Church was in severe financial difficulty unable to pay its share

The Local Authority had limited funds of around £250,000 that could be used.

Time: The grant had to be spent within 12 months

Cold

Constraints

Dark Damp Full

St Peter’s Church, Founded by Normans - Listed Grade 1

Used?

Buildings are unstable things and are not as definite as we would like. Maybe they can be best described as layers

These layers are defined by the rate of change found in each one, i.e site is eternal it never changes whereas the stuff i.e. furniture that can change on a daily basis.

Understanding the building

A place of worship

The Idea - 5 Boxes - 1 Surface

1 Box of Energy

2 Boxes of Delight

2 Boxes of Stuff

Provide a new ‘Space Plan’Contain the ‘Services’ Manage the ‘Stuff’

Where is the change?

Materiality A Traditional hardwearing material that speaks of the landscape of Herefordshire.

Newness Application

Delight Workmanship, Contrast & Surprise

Exercise

Golden Girls

Childrens Services

Acts of Worship

Friendship

Birthday Parties

Meetings

Music

Enterprise

Library

Credit Union

Health Clinics

ORLANDO JOPLING PLAYS BACH CELLO SUITES

Concerts

SISTER MOON, MOTHER EARTH GRAHAM JONES

Exhibitions

Silence

Remembrance

‘This is a very good example of a church expanding its role in village life

through the provision of new services - to the young and to the old. As

well as transforming a gloomy, damp space, the work has redefined the

churches’ role in its village. The interventions work with the grain of the

building and have a simplicity, austerity and clarity which works

extremely well.

The architects and client have created a series of spaces in which a huge

variety of activities can take place and this inventive programming will

hopefully help encourage the kind of chance encounters which help

make up a community. If this kind of partnership between churches and

villages are reproduced throughout the country, both will

thrive.’(ACE/RIBA AWARDS 2011 Jury’s citation)‘Peterchurch you know is a great example of what can

happen...Peterchurch is wonderful because it is relational.’(LOCKETT

16.02.12)

Result

Result

Transformation of a Community

Viability

From 30 people / week to 300 people / week

Used everyday for everything by everyone

Gives the Parish back its church

Evaluation

1. Belief

3.Buildings 2.Business

Evaluation

1. Belief

The project promotes a theology that values relationships more than

doctrine. It enables people to see the spiritual wherever they are, and

helps all realise that they are never alone.

The Project is concerned equally about its traditional congregation and its

wider community. It allows greater emphasis to be given to forming new

relationships with all. It endeavours to listen more and partner to achieve

good.

Evaluation

Business

The project brought a raft of

Management and Planning tools to

deliver the scheme.

However, when the project team

moved away the PCC struggled to

manage the project. This has now

been addressed by the appointment of

a:

Project Manager

Caretaker

Marketing and Development Officer

This highlighted a weakness in this

area in the local church. As a company

we are now seeking to develop a pilot

project for two Benefices in order to

provide Business and Management

Coaching for two parishes, to test if

improvements can be achieved and

lesson’s learnt.

We make our buildings, and then they make us. If a building is only usable in a manner that was envisaged for a Medieval or Victorian Society, in all likelihood this will not be very useful in today’s culture. Many Medieval and Victorian residential houses are still in active use. However, they have seen much change in terms of furniture, services and decoration.

It would seem sensible to accept that the best manner of conserving church buildings is to keep them as churches. Good design should enable both the conservation of significant historic fabric and at the same time serving the needs of society that the significance directly refers to.

Evaluation

Building

Belief

BuildingsBusiness


Spiritual

Change or Decay?