design
mag |
21
HYBRID
P
O
WER
Award-winning new church building
blends religious and community roles
The new Anglican Church Auditorium in Dapto is located
between two centres of secular worship: the Mall and the Dapto
Showground, known to greyhound racing fans across Australia
as the home of the “Dapto Dogs.”
Reflecting the changing requirements and opportunities of a
contemporary church, the auditorium is not devoted solely to
Sunday worship; it supports a range of events seven days a week,
catering to the wider local community, thus providing a hybrid of
religious and community space.
The auditorium is located between two existing buildings, St Luke’s
Pre-school and a church hall, and its function complements the
1903 St Luke’s church in nearby Brownsville by providing seating
and facilities for worship and events up to 500 people.
The architects, Silvester Fuller, took the bold step of building over
an internal road and reorganising onsite parking.The auditorium’s
location, at the hub of the three-building complex, defined its
shape and created a campus meeting place that also allows
access to the secondary buildings. Once the building perimeter
was defined, the circulation spaces were “carved” out of this
primary mass, informed by the flow of people from the car park,
into and through the building.
