2019 Canterbury Architecture Awards Winner
Oxford Terrace Baptist Church
The collapse of the heavy masonry Baptist Tabernacle in 2011 provided the Baptist Church – and its architect – with an opportunity to reconsider the occupation of the entire site. The master plan drawn up – and followed through – embodied the church as a village, centred on a communal courtyard – a ‘garden church’. The delight of this building is in its contrasts: unpainted concrete block quietly asserts itself, offset by broom-plastered soft-white walls; polished concrete meets soft-blond timber. Spaces are cleverly ‘borrowed’ – the church can be extended into adjoining spaces – and views are too, with carefully placed windows framing the trees and river beyond. While the architect’s hand is evident, it is not dominant proving that there can be great richness in economy.
- Practice
- Andrew Barrie Lab
- Category
- Public Architecture
- Location
- Canterbury
