New Church - Message from Columba Cook - Our Architect

When I started my practice seventeen years ago I did so with the intention of specialising in ecclesiastical architecture. My small team tries to cover the various aspects of church building. We are blessed with the task of caring for many precious, ancient churches as well occasionally designing new ones. We work for most of the mainstream Christian denominations but, being a Catholic myself, my main joy is to build for my own tradition. New Catholic churches are very rare in this country, new churches combined with parish centres and clergy housing are even rarer, so your project is extremely important to me.

A major part of our work involves parish centres/halls, clergy housing, re-orderings and extensions. We also get involved with school chapels and buildings belonging to religious communities. It is a rewarding occupation and I get to meet some wonderful people. The downside is that I have many evening meetings, so the day can be long. Luckily, my wife and children are very understanding and supportive – usually!

I am sometimes asked if I am a modernist or a traditionalist. Other people might be a better judge of my style but if I had to describe myself I would answer that I am thoroughly traditional but ‘traditional’ in the broadest sense of the word. Unlike some famous nineteenth century architects, I do not believe that there is a single authentic style of church architecture. I look for inspiration to the traditions of two thousand years of church architecture and not just the last thousand. I think this approach is synchronous with the, so called, ‘modern liturgy’. The prophets and scholars behind the reforms of Vatican II, sought to rediscover and restore something of the breadth of the Church’s liturgical traditions. It is this much broader tradition that our church buildings need to support.

Last autumn your parish took time to reflect on the life, mission and structures of the Church. Just before Christmas the building committee was formed to oversee the new church project. So far, I am very impressed by the group’s dedication and commitment to the task. The work of the committee covers many diverse areas including, communications, finance, liturgy, mission and, of course, design. At present the committee is engaged in the difficult task of discerning the needs of the parish in order to formulate a detailed design brief that caters to your specific needs and encompasses the vision of the diocese for the Waterlooville area. By co-operating with the building committee and the diocese you will be doing your bit to ensure that you get a facility that serves you well into the future.

While all this is going on at parish level a great deal of technical preliminary work is going on behind the scenes. The work includes, essential town planning studies, landscape appraisals, geotechnical and structural engineering studies, ecological investigations, drainage and hydrology studies, land and building surveys, financial valuations and negotiations, tree surveys, and traffic/transportation analyses.

Fortunately, most of these technical studies are being carried out in conjunction with the Sisters of Charity, who needs similar information to progress their own plans for redeveloping St Michael’s Convent. This collaboration has helped reduce the cost of this work to both parties.

Once the results of the parish surveys and technical studies have been fully analysed we will be able to look at the general options and potential for redevelopment and move towards some master site planning.

The process of building a new church can be exciting and unnerving. It is like taking a journey. We leave something behind in order to get somewhere else. There is the sobriety of an ending and the excitement of a new beginning. The in-between bit – the journey – is often unpredictable and uncomfortable but it is a state we must endure for a little while. Welcome to the journey!

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