St Lukes Church in Chadderton has been empty for over 10 years and is falling into a state of disrepair. The clients are seeking to transform the church into a community facility for youths and young adults with special educational needs. Many attempts have been made to find an alternative use for the redundant church during these 10 years and the ideal to support young people presents the best opportunity.
Planning permission and listed building consent has been acquired and the project is due to undergo construction in summer 2022.
Converting a large voluminous space such as a church is not an easy task given the poor thermal performance of the existing fabric and sheer height of the main space. As the facility will not occupy the full volume of the existing church, it is not practical to provide heating to the full area as it would be prohibitively expensive to maintain a comfort level suitable for the occupants. Our design approach is to dissect the space into habitable sections more suited to the human scale and create a series of contemporary pods within the spaces.
The facility will accommodate a diverse user group, many with complex care needs such as autism and physical disabilities. The facility has therefore been designed to be as inclusive as practically possible and will add a fantastic facility to the wider Oldham area. We are very excited to see this project delivered.