Multi Award Winning Consulting Civil, Structural & Conservation Engineers

City of Edinburgh Methodist Church

City of Edinburgh Methodist Church

Client: City of Edinburgh Methodist Church
Architect: Page \ Park Architects
Cost: £3.0m

Will Rudd Davidson were involved in the refurbishment of Nicolson Square Methodist Church which was completed at the end of 2013.  The category A listed building, designed by Architect, Thomas Brown, comprises the original chapel building which was constructed around 1815 and the addition of the Epworth Halls building in 1916 which provided extra accommodation for the church.

The main chapel building comprises thick external stone walls, a timber ground floor structure and internal cast iron structure supporting timber floor joists to the gallery level and large timber trusses.  The Epworth Halls also comprise thick external stone walls with internal steelwork and loadbearing masonry supporting timber floors and roof structure.

The project was required to improve circulation, fire escape provision and provide additional accommodation.  The main structural aspects of this included the introduction of a new lift core which involved underpinning surrounding walls to accommodate the pit levels, removal of a number of walls to provide more open plan space and to enhance the link between the two buildings.  This required the introduction of significant steel framing to maintain the stability of the buildings and to support the vertical load paths.  A steel framed/glazed extension was introduced to the Epworth Halls to provide more useable and inviting café space and alterations were made to change the arrangement of the entrance/vestibule, again requiring replacement steelwork.

Careful consideration of the structural design and detailing was essential to ensure that replacement and additional structure integrated well with the existing, whilst maintaining the buildings integrity and its significance in terms of conservation.

Images © Andrew Lee Photography
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