Home » News » Project Update : New Build Chapel on the West Coast
Aug 1, 2017 in Architecture, We Are GLM

Project Update : New Build Chapel on the West Coast

Work is continuing well on site.

All the stones for the apse vault have now been cut and are ready to erect. This took a bit longer than planned with several meetings at the stone yard as we tried to twist our brains around how to cut the complex shapes. The trickiest are where an arched window cuts into the half dome with a springing line above that of the vault. After putting all our brains together the stones are now cut and looking good.

The bell has also now been cast and is on site ready to be erected in the bellcote and we have also been looking beyond the masonry to the finishing elements.

Having searched high and low for suitable ironmongery, I came to the conclusion that nothing was quite right for this carefully crafted building.  The door handle is a very important part of a building – it is the first thing you touch on the threshold as you enter the building – and so I decided that custom designed handles in cast bronze were required.  The back plates are based on the geometry of St. John’s cross on Iona and the drop ring handles echo the shape of an ancient Celtic torc – reflecting the story of St. Comghan, the Irish priest become Scottish monk.  These will be produced by the skilled craftsmen at Black Isle Bronze and will be mounted on a double boarded oak door.

We have also been working in collaboration with the team at Simpson and Brown on the furniture. Short benches can face the front for a traditional style of service or can be placed against the wall in a more monastic style with the service led from the choir stalls at the back facing the altar down the main axis.  The zoning of the space is based on the golden rectangle geometry of the nave and this is also displayed in the flooring layout.

The next update should show a lot of progress as erecting the materials now on site will be a relatively quick process.

Neil McAllister

Architect

This website uses cookies
This site uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience. We use necessary cookies to make sure that our website works. We’d also like to set analytics cookies that help us make improvements by measuring how you use the site. By clicking “Allow All”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyse site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
These cookies are required for basic functionalities such as accessing secure areas of the website, remembering previous actions and facilitating the proper display of the website. Necessary cookies are often exempt from requiring user consent as they do not collect personal data and are crucial for the website to perform its core functions.
A “preferences” cookie is used to remember user preferences and settings on a website. These cookies enhance the user experience by allowing the website to remember choices such as language preferences, font size, layout customization, and other similar settings. Preference cookies are not strictly necessary for the basic functioning of the website but contribute to a more personalised and convenient browsing experience for users.
A “statistics” cookie typically refers to cookies that are used to collect anonymous data about how visitors interact with a website. These cookies help website owners understand how users navigate their site, which pages are most frequently visited, how long users spend on each page, and similar metrics. The data collected by statistics cookies is aggregated and anonymized, meaning it does not contain personally identifiable information (PII).
Marketing cookies are used to track user behaviour across websites, allowing advertisers to deliver targeted advertisements based on the user’s interests and preferences. These cookies collect data such as browsing history and interactions with ads to create user profiles. While essential for effective online advertising, obtaining user consent is crucial to comply with privacy regulations.