Award-winning architectural practice, Howarth Litchfield, has announced its appointment to provide a range of architectural services for a single-storey extension at a church in Washington.
This latest project win adds to Howarth Litchfield’s growing portfolio of ecclesiastical projects following its appointment to design an extension and remodel the internal layout of Bethany Memorial Church in Sunderland within the last ten months.
At St George’s Anglican Church, Fatfield, the practice will act as architect, interior designer and principle designer, on a proposed modern extension.
Currently, the church struggles to meet its day-to-day requirements in its present state and the design of the building needs to be reviewed to make it more accessible to both Reverend Nick Barr-Hamilton who himself is disabled and the wider community. Proposed changes include a new entrance and function room.
Additionally, once upgraded, the church will be able to provide a wider range of services to the community including facilities for small events and functions.
Howarth Litchfield’s wealth of expertise and experience in this area enables it to fulfil the client’s brief of marrying an elegant Victorian church with a contemporary extension that will cater for the community for at least the next 50 years.
St George’s Anglican Church is located at the centre of the local community and covers a large catchment area in Fatfield, Washington. Neil Turner, director at Howarth Litchfield, believes the proposed design will meet the church’s objective of becoming a modern place of worship for its growing community. He said:
“It’s important to make the building more accessible and I believe that the combination of our design skill and enthusiasm will allow us to deliver the right solution.
“The current design reflects a modest yet modern extension that complements the lineage of the existing building. Large areas of glass will feature in the extension to create a contemporary design that will last well into the future. Furthermore, we hope to use sustainable technology to reduce the energy consumption of the church.”
Speaking about appointing Howarth Litchfield, Reverend Barr-Hamilton said:
“We’re really pleased with the way the concept has developed with Howarth Litchfield. It perfectly matches the brief to create new space for church ministry in the 21st Century – which is what we have needed for many years. As well as this, the energy efficiency plans will enable us to be much more ecologically friendly. This is an exciting time for us, and we can’t wait to provide a better environment for our church family and the many people our volunteers work so hard to serve.”
Currently in the pre-application stage Howarth Litchfield is gathering specialist reports ready to support the main application.