In early 2016, jmarchitects were invited along with our design team, to prepare a feasibility study for a community hall extension to St Andrew’s Church in Barrhead.

St Andrew’s Church was built in 1967 to replace the original 1796 church. The modernist design incorporates a high roof, long aisle and decorative stained-glass windows by Gordon Webster. The church has since been extended to provide ancillary accommodation along the north elevation.

In 2013, the parishes of ‘Arthurlie’ and ‘South and Levern’ amalgamated. Operating out of two locations, the ambition was to build a new Community Hall at St Andrew’s Church to consolidate the existing facilities within one site, bringing the existing user groups together in one location. Existing groups include the Brownies, Boys Brigade, Scouts, Kick Club and Keep Fit. The church’s ambition is that the new facilities will form an asset for existing users and the wider community in Barrhead.

Our process has been to develop the brief through a series of Client and user group consultations. Assessing their requirements and timetables led to the development of the initial layout options. We then distilled their brief down to produce the final agreed option which strikes a balance between the desired facilities and affordability. Comprising of a large dividable hall, kitchen and WC facilities, this new Community Hall will be of benefit to the parish and to the wider community in Barrhead.

The project started on site January 2020 with Fleming Buildings as the main contractor. Construction has progressed well, and the scaffold has recently been dropped. Progress on external works is due to commence with a target completion date of January 2021.