1+2 Architecture acknowledges the Palawa people as the traditional custodians of lutruwita, the lands on which our company is located and where we conduct our business. We pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present. We are committed to honouring Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas and their rich contribution to society.
Wellspring Anglican Church
LOCATION + TRADITIONAL COUNTRY
The Palawa, Sandy Bay, Tasmania
CLIENT
Not applicable
STATUS
Built (2012)
AWARDS
2014 RAIA TAS - Henry Hunter Triennial Prize
2013 RAIA TAS - Public Architecture Award
2013 RAIA TAS - Heritage Architecture Award
2013 Australian Property Institute VIC / TAS - Heritage Property Award
media
Not applicable
PHOTOGRAPHY
1+2 Architecture (1), Ray Joyce (2 + 3)
For nearly a century, Wellspring Anglican Church has served as a place of worship, connection and community within Hobart. With an expanded congregation and evolving demands of contemporary ministry, the church sought a solution that could better support both its parishioners and the broader community.
Their brief called for new facilities that would expand the church’s capacity while maintaining the heritage values of the existing campus. Equally important was the desire to remain on a site deeply embedded in the community’s collective memory. The project presented a rare opportunity to reconcile tradition with a contemporary vision for faith, fellowship and community engagement.
KEY COLLABORATORS
+ Builder:
+ Landscape Architecture:
Inspiring Place and Playstreet
+ Quantity Surveyor:
+ Town Planner:
+ ESD Consultant:
RED Sustainability Consultants
+ Building Surveyor:
+ Structural / Civil / Hydraulic Engineering:
Aldanmark Consulting Engineers
+ Mechanical Engineering:
Ian Loney
+ Electrical Engineering:
ECOS Consulting Engineers & Designers
+ Fire Engineering:
SEMF
+ Acoustic Engineering:
+ Art & Graphics:
Place
The project transforms a collection of inwardly focused heritage buildings into a more connected and welcoming environment for worship, gathering and community activity. A light-filled canopy occupies the spaces between the existing structures, linking them beneath a contemporary architectural form that is open, transparent and reflective of the church’s evolving role in the community.
Beneath this connecting structure, meeting and activity spaces, offices, commercial food facilities and a new 270-seat auditorium complement the historic chapel. The new spaces provide for contemporary church ministry while strengthening the physical and visual connections across the site.
The form, scale and massing of the addition are deliberately subservient to the heritage buildings, preserving their architectural prominence and significance. Rather than compete with or imitate the existing architecture, the new work establishes a distinct contemporary expression. Together, the buildings form a cohesive precinct in which heritage and contemporary architecture coexist, supporting both established traditions and future community life.
Process
A highly consultative design and approvals process informed the project, balancing the evolving needs of contemporary church ministry with the heritage significance of the existing buildings. Analysis revealed a collection of buildings of considerable heritage value, but with limited connections between them and constraints in accommodating contemporary uses.
Rather than substantially alter the existing structures, the design focused on the spaces between them, using a new connecting framework to improve circulation, accessibility and opportunities for gathering. Carefully considered adaptive reuse and sensitive interventions enabled the existing buildings to retain their character while accommodating new functions.
The placement, scale and transparency of the addition were carefully resolved to complement the heritage architecture while establishing a more cohesive and functional precinct. This approach has enabled the church to remain in its longstanding location, preserving the cultural significance of the site while supporting its continued use, growth and connection with the wider community.
"We appointed 1+2 because we believed they were a progressive, ambitious and creative team. We believed they would have our best interest at heart and would ‘go the extra mile’ for us as a client. We have not been disappointed.”
Rev David Rietveld, Wellspring Anglican Church
Impact
Wellspring Anglican Church demonstrates how adaptive re-use and thoughtful contemporary design can extend the life and relevance of significant community places. By enabling the church to remain and grow within its historic home, the project preserves an important cultural asset while supporting changing patterns of worship, learning and social connection. The new facilities strengthen the church’s capacity to engage with the wider community and accommodate future generations. More than an addition to a heritage precinct, the project establishes a resilient and adaptable framework for continuing service, allowing heritage, community and faith practice to evolve together.
Awards + Jury Citation
RAIA Tasmania 2013
Public Building Award:
“Wellspring Anglican Church exemplifies its public purpose by revitalising the suburban church site as a place of gathering for worshippers and the broader community. An involved planning process, including consideration of neighbouring amenity and incorporation of heritage consultant recommendations, has resulted in a redevelopment that both preserves and invites the public to enjoy and understand the parish as a place for all people, while augmenting the existing heritage architecture with sensitivity and invention.
A newly defined entry and linkage foyer, combined with a warm and well-detailed interior to the auditorium as the ‘heart’, creates an informal and welcoming experience. The insertion of this new 300-seat auditorium into what is essentially a residential context is adeptly executed.
The architects’ intelligent approach to the integration of an artist’s work throughout the buildings and courtyard promotes a meaningful experience for the visitor. With a challenging program, Wellspring Anglican Church goes beyond its brief to realise a unified place of congregation and inclusion for the Anglican Church and extended community.”
Heritage Award:
“Wellspring Anglican Church is an outstanding demonstration of how the intersection and relationship between heritage and contemporary buildings can both enhance and clarify the visitor experience.
Navigating planning complexities, demanding heritage requirements and neighbourhood apprehension, the architects have skilfully fulfilled their client’s requirements with new elements, while reinvigorating the importance of the existing heritage-listed church and house. Of note is the careful and subservient manner in which new spaces are introduced between major existing buildings and the thoughtfulness with which the public courtyard unifies the whole.
The involvement of a project artist adds a deeper layer to the understanding of place and parish. A moderate budget was intelligently employed to create articulated and inviting interior spaces, including the adept integration of the existing heritage-listed house to the main auditorium. A sense of connection to site, heritage and the broader context prevails throughout. Wellspring Anglican Church represents excellence in the interpretation of heritage; sympathetically displaying the opportunity for contemporary architecture to illuminate and make legible our historically significant buildings.”
