St Luke's Chapel, University of Exeter
St Luke’s Chapel is located within Exeter University’s St Luke’s Campus, in central Exeter. The Chapel was designed by the church architect John Hayward, and consecrated in 1863 as the place of worship for the Church of England Training College.
The Chapel was largely destroyed during the bombing raids of 1942 before being rebuilt and re-dedicated in 1952 and was later updated in 1998, introducing platforms at different levels within the Worship Space to create a circular rather than linear plan. Whilst this had limitations in terms of accessibility, it created a sense of intimacy within this large space that was liked by the students.
In 2018 hmad architects were approached to consider ways to update the interior spaces to meet accessibility requirements and to adapt to suit the changing nature of the Chaplaincy and address two key issues;
ACCESSIBILITY The only access into the Chapel was stepped and there were five different floor levels within the building, and the worship space had tiered seating;
INCLUSIVITY The language of the architecture was in the Christian tradition which was felt to be a barrier to people of other faiths or none.
Accessibility into the Chapel was resolved by removing the steps at the entrance and constructing an external ramp from the car park into the Worship Space.
The numerous internal changes in level, which were preventing the space from being used by a wider range of students, have been removed. The new level floor means it can now be used for events, presentations and teaching, as well as services.
The different spaces within the Chapel each have their own identity, but visual links into the Worship Space are maintained, to remind users of the primary purpose of the building as well as for safeguarding.
The connection between spaces is strengthened by glimpse views through glazed sections of sub-divisions and enhanced by custom designed fixtures and fittings displaying a consistent aesthetic approach throughout the building.
The Worship Space is light, bright and contemporary, and retains references to its ecclesiastical tradition despite the tension in the brief to convey the idea of ‘church’ whilst attracting a broad range of users. There is a consistent language in the design of the screen at the west end, the lectern and the chair stores, subtly referencing familiar imagery such as screens, organ pipes and pews.
The existing oak wall panels were refurbished and repurposed as a respectful reflection of the history of this building and to preserve a sense of place.
The project has been extremely successful with the Chapel attracting bookings from a diverse range of user groups, from tutors looking for a quiet place to mark papers, to University societies holding multi-cultural events such as a recent sari exhibition.
Image credits: Clare Rodbourne