St Thomas’ Chapel wins Supreme Award

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The cubes sit side by side. A lightbox marks the chapel, with kitchen at right.

The cubes sit side by side. A lightbox marks the chapel, with kitchen at right. Image: Simon Devitt

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St Thomas' Chapel, view from above.

St Thomas’ Chapel, view from above. Image: Simon Devitt

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Inside the reassembled Chapel.

Inside the reassembled Chapel. Image: Simon Devitt

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Timber rescued from a sunken Melanesian Mission ship was used for the chapel.

Timber rescued from a sunken Melanesian Mission ship was used for the chapel. Image: Simon Devitt

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View towards the south transept.

View towards the south transept. Image: Simon Devitt

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St Thomas' Chapel in St Matthew-in-the-city Church.

St Thomas’ Chapel in St Matthew-in-the-city Church. Image: Simon Devitt

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The chapel’s vertical oak paneling contrasts with the horizontal stone coursework.

The chapel’s vertical oak paneling contrasts with the horizontal stone coursework. Image: Simon Devitt

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St Thomas' Chapel in St Matthew-in-the-city Church.

St Thomas’ Chapel in St Matthew-in-the-city Church. Image: Simon Devitt

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The southern cube houses kitchen and toilet facilities with a vestry store at rear.

The southern cube houses kitchen and toilet facilities with a vestry store at rear. Image: Simon Devitt

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St Thomas' Chapel in St Matthew-in-the-city Church.

St Thomas’ Chapel in St Matthew-in-the-city Church. Image: Simon Devitt

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St Thomas' Chapel in St Matthew-in-the-city Church.

St Thomas’ Chapel in St Matthew-in-the-city Church. Image: Simon Devitt

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St Thomas' Chapel in St Matthew-in-the-city Church.

St Thomas’ Chapel in St Matthew-in-the-city Church. Image: Simon Devitt

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St Thomas’ Chapel in St. Matthew-in-the-City Church by Salmond Reed Architects was honoured with the Supreme Award at the Interior Awards, announced on 27 June, 2012.

St Thomas’ Chapel in St Matthew-in-the-city Church. Image:  Simon Devitt

The winning project is a masterful restoration and install of an historic ship-board chapel within a significant heritage building in Auckland city. The project also involves the introduction of new amenities to enable the parish to self-fund via events.

St Thomas’ Chapel was also the winner of the Culture and Civic category of the 2012 Interior Awards programme.

Judges’ citation

The Culture & Civic section of this awards programme was vigourously contested; there was an embarrassment of riches and, in truth, the judges thought that each of the finalists could have gone on to win the main award. Ultimately, it was a once-in-a-lifetime ecclesiastical project that pulled through: a project with a long, interesting narrative that begins in the 19th century, involves forensic architecture, restoration and, to get a little bit New Testament on it, resurrection.

However, this project was not just a rebuilding of something that had gone before; there was finesse in recomposition, and careful material selection, including some bold choices – onyx marble, for instance, comprises the ‘lantern’ that frames the top of the chapel. The chapel is one part of this project; there are two ‘containers’ in St Matthews. Something old, which started life in the bowels of an ocean-riding missionary ship, is balanced by something quite new, an amenity building like no other. It is a kitchen which the forward-looking church can look to subsidise income that will help care for the wonderful heritage envelope. There are many admirable aspects to this project, including its human scale and clarity of thought. It’s a sophisticated work where the modern and functional sit respectfully alongside the revered and historic.

Images from the Interior Awards and Networking Evening can be found here.


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