Grand Junction at St Mary Magdelene, London

Digital Sketchbook by Dow Jones Architects

Completed in 2019 the restoration of the Grade I listed St Mary Magdalene’s in West London exemplifies a careful, acutely observant approach to the revitalisation of neglected church buildings; something Dow Jones Architects have become justly renowned for following their work on several other projects of this kind, including Hawksmoor’s Christ Church Spitalfields.

In addition to a ‘light-touch’ renovation of the original,1865-built church, this project involved the insertion of a new building into the narrow gap between the church and the adjacent school building. This new construction negotiates the difficult level changes between the existing buildings and the adjacent canalside pathway and houses a new cafe, education spaces nd offices.

Speaking in the Architects Journal director Biba Dow said: “The interesting part of the project for us was how to make a new building that was both neighbourly to the church, reconnecting it to its surroundings, and that developed its own architectural identity distinct from the church. Large lantern windows announce activity and articulate corners, and the choice of two materials – concrete and faience – turns the church inside out.”

The architects have produced a digital sketch book for this project which shows how the iterative design method employed by the practice complements their detailed analysis of the existing conditions, allowing for a fine balance to be struck within the complex constraints.

The digital sketch book is is available to download here.

NOTES

Posted 30th August 2021.

All photographs © Dow Jones Architects.

See also sketches by the architects for their extension to London’s Garden Museum in our Archive here.