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Kings Road ChurchBerkhamsted, Hertfordshire




The proposal is for the demolition of an existing two-story church building and the construction of a new purpose-built church facility that will integrate a ground-floor café, meeting facilities, and a first-floor auditorium capable of accommodating up to 240 individuals. The project addresses the pressing need for a new spiritual home for the Kings Road Church congregation, who currently convene at a local school. It also aspires to serve as a dynamic community catalyst for the wider Berkhamsted community.

The project vision is a commitment to establish a long-term centre of community excellence where the people of Berkhamsted can join in small and medium sized gatherings at the heart of their town. This commitment to communal celebration is at the core of the proposal and underscores a dedication to the people that the Kings Road Church community serve.

Reducing impact on the sensitive conservation context as well as the immediate surrounding properties has been at the forefront of the design development process. Providing a new auditorium facility to seat 240 requires the inclusion of various ancillary functions that increase net floor area. Integrating the resulting larger volume into this sensitive site requires architectural innovation which in turn has driven the final external building form. This form provides the maximum amount of usable floor space within a minimum impact envelop
The protection of day lighting and sun lighting to all neighbouring buildings has been a primary driver to finding the optimal external building form. The daylighting analysis resulted in a simple 3D volumetric model within which designs could be constrained. The resulting model form has a highly unusual geometry. 

The proposed building form underwent multiple iterations to match required net floor areas with minimising external profiles and visual aesthetics within the street context. The final form is the result of this lengthy process and provides a reduced volume relative to the Sunlight & Daylight study. By stepping down the roof profiles we have been able to better integrate the building form into the rising street context as well as reduce the impact to immediate neighbouring dwellings.

In keeping with the church members desire to build a long-term, low energy, sustainable and future-proof building the design will be constructed to Passivhaus standards. Currently the Passivhaus Institute record only two such churches globally. 

The new church will be a low impact urban intervention and will contribute to the portfolio of such examples within the Berkhamsted community helping to raise standards for future developments. 

 





Project Name: Kings Road Church  
Location: Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire 
Gross Floor Area (House): 811 m2 
Value: Confidential 
Environmental Rating: Passivhaus
Project Period: March 2023-2026

Project Credits 

Architect: Kirkland Fraser Moor Architects 
Client: Kings Road Church
Planning Consultant: Trevor Standen
Heritage Consultant: Squire Heritage + Hurd Roland
Transport: Abington
Construction Consultant: PCP Surveyors
Acoustics: Nova Acoustics
Daylighting Consultant: Rights of Light
Arboriculture: Stileman
Ecology: MKEcology 

Public Relations: Helen Kahn
Visualisation: Darc Studio + InTandem 
Kirkland Fraser Moor Architects           Tel: 01442 864 673 Email: mail@k-f-m.com
 8-12 Clarence Rd Depot, Clarence Rd. HP4 3AS