H A L L O W E D   G R O U N D

Church of St. Laurence O'Toole Church, Kilmacud

Shortlisted - Wood Awards Ireland 2016 

This project involving the refurbishment of a large 1960s church is treated as a landscape project leaving the fabric of the original building untouched. Our brief was to make the space more intimate for ceremonies and daily use given the reduced size of the congregation. The works also involved a new bright, reflective terrazzo floor, upgrading of the lighting, the addition of a new Day Chapel and Vestry to the front of the church and the replacement of confessional boxes with new Confessional Rooms. 

Some of the original seating is removed and the remaining benches are rearranged to make a more informal layout. The groups of seats are turned and realigned to give more direct views of the altar and to arrange the congregation in smaller more intimate groupings. A series of movable timber screens are introduced around the perimeter of the church. These are intended to give a welcoming feel to the church. They are also intended to reduce the scale of the space for the congregation and to create side aisles to encourage people to move from the back doors to the car-park through the nave without disturbing the ceremony. The screens are permeable to allow views through and across the nave. 

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Photography by Aisling McCoy