A - CONSTRUCTION

The Belarusian Memorial Chapel

The Belarusian Memorial Chapel is the first wooden church built in since the Great Fire of 1666. Accommodating up to 40 people, the 69 sqm chapel serves as both a lasting memorial Location: Marian House, Holden Ave, London N12 8HY and an important spiritual focus for the diaspora community. It sits surrounded by 17 protected trees in the grounds of Marian House, a community and cultural centre for the Belarusian commu- nity in north London. For centuries wood has been the principal building material in , a predominantly forested land, having once been populated by wooden churches and synagogues. Client: Holy See of Belarus was heavily affcted by WWII, during which, Nazi troops torched countless wooden churches after locking all the villages inside. The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster led to further de- struction of the Belarusian community with the loss of many rurual settlements in Belarus and Ukraine. This church was dedicated to the victims of WWII as well the the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear disaster. The result was a Greek Catholic church for the Belarusian community in London, who were previsouly using a house. Builder: Timberwright

Project Author: Tszwai So The Site The new chapel is placed adjacent to the previously house-turned-church. The local authority did not welcome any design proposals put forward in the past, feared that any new building activity Project director: Samuel Bentil-Mensah would harm the protected trees. The site is surrounded by thirteen eye-arresting lime trees and four skinny, but equally charming birches, rising up to almost 20 metres, which are now statutorily protected. The white birches Surface area: 75 m2 were originally planted in the 60’s by Belarusian bishop Ceslaus Sipovich (1914–1981) and Fr Alexander Nadson (1926-2015) to remind them of their beloved motherland.

Budget: £364,000 Design Counter battens Besides protecting the trees, the light-weight timber structure is entirely pre-fabricated and made from sustainably sourced British Douglas fir, a nod to the historical connection of community Start/End dates: Feb 2016 - Jan 2017 Cedar Shakes and place. The Radiata Pine CLT panels, were manufactured off-site in Spain and were FSC certified. The extensive use of CNC technology allowed separately manufactured parts to fit perfectly Construction sequence 230mm thick CLT panel

25mm tiling battens when assembled on site, allowing for quick construction with little disruption to the setting.

Structural beam to SE detail 150mm rigid insulation Counter battens Timber stop bead Breather membrane Traditional forms and motifs are complimented by contemporary detailing, exemplified by the undulating exterior fins that form an unobtrusive yet dynamic façade. The chapel enhances natural Cedar Shakes Douglas Fir post 230mm thick CLT panel lighting inside, while giving the appearance that the structure is floating. This illusion echoes the spiritual presence of the building yet contrasts its structural solidity. Natural ventilation flows via Frameless glazing

LED lighting strip 25mm tiling battens the bell tower and the rear, while eco-friendly heating hidden underneath the altar helps reduce services needed and thus the carbon footprint.

140 thk CLT Structural beam to SE detail 150mm rigid insulation 150mm rigid insulation Timber stop bead Breather membrane Ventilation gap Douglas Fir post Breather membrane CLT soffit Sustainability Frameless glazing 45mm thick vertical battens LED lighting strip The extensive use of certified timber not only results in exceptionally low embodied carbon, but also provides an excellent thermal envelope. The building goes beyond minimum energy require-

140 thk CLT 25mm cladding boards ments with high level of thermal insulation, it is ventilated and heated by two heat recovery units located within the floor void beneath the altar. The building form makes use of the bell timber 150mm rigid insulation 75mm thick FS Douglas Fir cladding fins to create a stacking effect allowing circulation of fresh air and enabling efficient rapid warming of the space. Once the chapel is warm and occupied the units will run primarily as heat recovery Ventilation gap Breather membrane CLT soffit units with the electric heating coils off. The result was a significant 100% reduction of gas consumption and 58% of electricity consumption compared to the previous makeshift place of worship.

45mm thick vertical battens Natural stack ventilation

25mm cladding boards

75mm thick FS Douglas Fir cladding fins

LED lighting strip

Glazing stop bead

Raised altar

Min 50mm liquid screed 75mm thick FS Douglas Fir cladding fins

100mm rigid insulation Frameless glazing LED lighting strip DPM Lead flashing dressed over sill

GlazingFrench stop drain bead

Raised altar Raft foundation to SE spec Min 50mm liquid screed 75mm thick FS Douglas Fir cladding fins

100mm rigid insulation Frameless glazing

DPM Lead flashing dressed over sill

French drain

Raft foundation to SE spec

0 1 2 M Cross sectionCROSS of SECTION the naveOF THE NAVE wall WALL

0 1 2 M CROSS SECTION OF THE NAVE WALL

Existing boundary

125 x 250mm sleeper edging 100mm above FFL

new concrete ramp

Rustic quartz-block paving

Handrails-300 mm oversail at Existing boundary top and bottom 125 x 250mm sleeper edging soft landscaping H O L D E N R O A D 100mm above FFL

125 x 250mm sleeper edging 100mm above FFL

new concrete ramp

H O L D E N A V E N U E

Rustic quartz-block paving

0 5 10 20 M SITE MAP BELARUSIAN MEMORIAL CHAPEL

Handrails-300 mm oversail at top and bottom

125 x 250mm sleeper edging soft landscaping H O L D E N R O A D 100mm above FFL

H O L D E N A V E N U E

0 5 10 20 M SiteSITE plan MAP BELARUSIANwith context MEMORIAL CHAPEL Undulating profile created by cutting the wood planks at varying angles resulting in no waste.