The welcoming St Michael’s Parish Centre successfully provides a much needed space for a number of Church activities, including Counselling and Community groups. The design overcame a number of challenges. For example, the Planning scheme Significant Landscape overlay heavily restricted where the building could be located on site. The design turned this liability into an asset, by wrapping the building around the most significant tree to form a garden court. Other preserved trees shade the building and staff outdoor space.
As you enter the front door, the reception opens up to a large stained glass window, that looks over the garden. Facilities include a complex of spaces for Parish Priests and support staff, two meeting rooms, kitchens and community. The sloping site has resulted in a raised building that provides a slightly elevated presence on the street. The building is designed to be as sensitive as possible to the leafy residential nature of the street it sits on.It borrows elements such as gable ends and materials from surrounding buildings in order to blend in with the adjacent Presbytery and local neighbourhood character.