St Mary's Garden Hall, Wimbledon

30, Saint Mary's Road, London, United Kingdom

Add To Collection

Other Projects by Terry Pawson Architects

Add To Collection

31 Vernon Street

Add To Collection

VISUAL & the George Bernard Shaw Theatr

St Mary's Garden Hall, Wimbledon

30, Saint Mary's Road, London, United Kingdom

Firm

Terry Pawson Architects

Type

Hospitality + Sport ›
Cultural ›

YEAR

2004

This project grew out of the Client’s need for additional flexible space that could accommodate both large social or community events, as well as smaller groups such as the Sunday School. The result is a new hall of +100m2, which is divisible into two, with a direct visual and physical connection to the churchyard.The site is in a conservation area and previously contained a small garden and a parking area. The new building sits to one side of the site, leaving space for a new lawned garden in front. By sinking the new hall into the site, the architects have achieved an internal height of 4m, whilst keeping the profile of the building low to respect the scale of buildings in the immediate vicinity. Scale was further modulated by the use of a stepped elevation to the street, with a rusticated base of dry stone walling, surmounted with smooth white limestone ashlar that steps back from the building face. The contrast between the white ashlar and the darker rusticated dry-stone also reflects the materiality of the listed St Mary’s Church.The formal arrangement consists of the smooth white stone structure of the main building spanning over the hall to rest lightly on a substantial textured and articulated stone wall facing the street. Inserted into the simple white form are two prominent roof lights that bring daylight into both the rear half of the main hall, and the entrance foyer. The main space faces onto the lawned garden to the east and a small terraced garden with a curved rear wall to the west, allowing each half of the hall to relate to an exterior space when subdivided.The Hall is constructed of a steel frame with stone and blockwork cavity walls. Roof construction, concrete plank flat roof to hall, timber deck roof to secondary spaces. Glazing includes a structural glass roof-light to the foyer, and areas of frameless glazing.Internally, the materials are restricted to white painted walls, with beech floors. “This attractively modest insertion into a sensitive, well cared for conservation area, impressed and heartened the jury as proof that adventurousness can survive the hazards of conservation constraints through an understanding client working with an empathetic planning authority and, not least, a talented, concerned and sensitive architect.” - RIBA Awards 2005 Statement“Sitting beautifully in its context, this new hall for the Grade II listed church of St Mary’s is a remarkable contemporary insertion into a predominantly Victorian area. Located within a sunken garden behind a listed wall, the new hall is a jewel waiting to be discovered. Despite the stunning white simplicity of the building, glazed west façade and almost sculptural rooflights, the scale of the building does not overwhelm, The result is an extremely successful dialogue with the church, and the sensitive juxtaposition of historic with modern deserves to be applauded. The building is a spectacular response to the growing needs of the congregation and is regularly used as a venue for a variety of functions, both secular and religious, a testament to the building’s huge community impact.” - Civic Trust Awards 2004 Statement