Faith House, Holton Lee Centre For Disability In The Arts
The first phase of our masterplan for the Holton Lee estate was completed in 2002. Faith House accommodates the spiritual curriculae of Holton Lee’s programme, providing a quiet room for individual contemplation and a larger space for religious assembly, meetings, display of art and rehearsals.
The building, which won The Guardian Best British Building of the Year Award 2003, is an elegant at roofed timber–framed structure which sits at the top of a raised path resembling a miniature Greek temple. Views of the surrounding countryside are afforded by full-length windows, opening the interior spaces to the trees and the sky beyond.
The setting is enhanced by circle of cut trees, installed from floor to ceiling in the centre of the quiet room, creating a contemplative environment in which nature and art can be admired and studied.
The construction responds to Holton Lee’s environmental aspirations using unpainted red cedar rainscreen cladding, recycled paper insulation and sedum roof.