The Church Hall was recently named the winner in the Repair and Adaptive Re-use category of a major national architectural design competition.
Known as the Wood Awards, the competition is designed to recognise innovation in the use of wood and to inform people that wood is a beautiful and economical material which can be used to great advantage in any building. The presentation was made to Architect Nicola Waddington in the magnificent surroundings of Carpenters Hall, the home of the Society of Carpenters, in the City of London. The Hall was also named runner-up to the Gold Medal award winner across all the categories.
The Church Hall was extensively renovated in 2012 with the assistance of funding from the Northern Ireland Development Council and the International Fund for Ireland. The work included the removal of the old stage and the incorporation of new meeting rooms and storage space within the existing building. More efficient insulation measures were also built in.
Nicola, who had carried out the design work and managed the project, said how delighted she was to accept the award on behalf of the Parish. “It is a great honour to receive this award. What we were trying to do was to refurbish the Hall in a manner which would make it more energy efficient whilst, at the same time, ensuring that it met the needs of an expanding Church and community. It was important that the Hall became a bright new meeting place for all.”
Congratulations to all concerned!