Duke Street Church renovation project has been a particularly special and rewarding community project for Studio Partington. It has been carried forward from early feasibility to construction with an extremely engaged and positive relationship developed between architect, client representative, church council and congregation.

Duke Street is a local, independent, evangelical church behind the high street in Richmond-upon-Thames, founded there 150 years ago. The main auditorium, designed by Hugh Hubbard Ford, which replaced an outgrown Victorian church, had changed very little since completion in 1962. The auditorium renovation completes the refurbishment of the church complex.

The scheme transforms the main church space creating a vastly improved meeting space and unique 450 seat auditorium in the centre of Richmond. The project aims to strike a balance between celebrating and enhancing the 1960s character of the space, while providing a transformed, contemporary, and versatile interior to support the growth of the church and community use.

The construction works included asbestos removal, stabilisation of the external walls, replacement roof, passive ventilation, renewed heating and translucent double-glazed curtain walling, plus new internal linings creating a stepped ceiling with acoustic absorption, reconfigured focal wall, and chair storage.

At the outset of the project, Studio Partington worked with Duke Street trustees to tease out a brief for: a flexible and adaptable space; a building made safe and more accessible; and to future-proof the construction for the next 60 years, including building environmental performance, audio-visual installation and new robustness of detail and finishes. Working with a very tight budget, priorities and options have been assessed at every stage.

Natural and resilient oak and cork finishes are contrasted with clean, white-painted linings, introduced throughout to unify the space and enhance the original Auditorium form. Similarly, new lighting is used to enhance the form of the interior and the new undulating ceiling.

The renovation received a commendation at the Richmond Society Awards, 2022 for a distinguished contribution to Richmond.