The Old Chapel | Tuckey Design Studio

Tucked within an area of outstanding natural beauty in West Devon is the Old Chapel. This early 20th century sanctuary has been reinterpreted into a family home that maximises its compelling ecclesiastical past whilst having gone through a considerable environmental upgrade.

The nave is now a spacious open plan living area, revolving around a central wood burning stove, with slender arched windows framing the coastal topography beyond. Reclaimed timber boards line the stripped-back ceiling, intermittently broken by restored rhythmic joists accentuating the drama of the pitched eaves. Levitating above the kitchen is a plywood insertion housing an additional bedroom and study space which can be reached from a new stairwell wending its way between a re-pointed stone gable.

Downstairs the crypt has been extended to accommodate generous south-facing bedrooms that overlook a sloping garden and intimate courtyard. Recurring niches have been recessed into the existing stone walls, housing subtle light fixtures.

Design

The clients approached the studio with the ambition of re-appropriating the converted chapel into a series of generous living spaces that would accommodate their permanent family home. 

The proposal sought to remove a series of clumsy interventions added in the 90s that had no architectural value and covered the chapels raw elemental beauty. Work began by scratching away at the surface of paint and plasterboard to uncover the honesty of the original building.

The clients sensibilities very much aligned with our own; of utilising and restoring what the building had to offer rather than demolition or wholesale alterations. The outcome is a building that is perfectly equipped for its new domestic use whilst being confidently distinct and proud of its historic use. 

Retrofit Innovation

The building is landlocked and suffered from minimal natural light suitable for a home. We opened the building up on two sides adding additional windows, a courtyard and a subtle glazed ground floor extension. These factors contribute to all rooms being naturally lit and cross ventilated.

The scheme future proofs the buildings new-found guise as a home, with open plan configuration and multifunctional rooms adapting to the needs of family life. Remnants of the past (floorboards, windows, stone gables) are a reminder of what came before and are paired with contemporary motifs, such as decorative niches and eccentric ‘nougat’ terracotta stairwell.

Operational energy

Following the retrofit of the chapel the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating went from an F to a B(A).

Operational energy performance in first year following completion - 12,913.02 kWh

The existing building was an uninsulated shell that had been haphazardly altered into an unsympathetic and insensitive series of living spaces with insulation oversights and thermal bridging. Our design intention was to unify the interior characters alongside a contemporary extension to dramatically improve the thermal envelope.

The strategy for insulation included ceilings and floors incorporating maximum natural, breathable and carbon negative Rockwool insulation. Insulated plaster board was additionally applied on top.

Energy is supplied through an air source heat pump, boiler and solar panels on the south facing roof pitch. Underfloor heating is supplied on the ground floor with radiators flanking the first floor. This new thermal envelope retains this heat, with double glazing granting the building a fresh set of eyes in which to appreciate the rural context.

Embodied energy

The existing chapel has been restored, with the later architecturally banal additions from the 1970s & 90s removed or reinterpreted. The embodied energy strategy was to reuse as much of the existing built fabric as possible, with no materials taken off site during construction. Materials stripped out were reused, with floorboards rich in patina relaid and plaster patched up and reworked. The Implemented ‘new’ material palette originated from a local reclamation yard - kitchen worktop, shutters, tiled staircase, ceiling timber boards, ground floor joinery.

Environmental performance

The Old Chapel is situated within a quaint rural context on an elevated site that has spectacular views along the coast and across rolling topography. Its prominence on the landscape lead our design to be sympathetic to the traditional exterior. A ground floor extension is only visible from the garden, slightly protruding out from the body of the kirk.

There was a deliberate reduction on fossil fuel reliance, switching from an oil boiler to renewable solar panelling and an air source heat pump. Lime plasters and paints add to the breathability of the fabric and ensure improved internal air quality. 

Outside, hard landscaping was removed and reduced to improve surface run off and encourage biodiversity, with the landscaping scheme abundant with drought resistant planting for the dry summer periods. Rainwater is recycled and collected in tanks for use on site.

Lead Architects: Elena Aleksandrov & Jonathan Tuckey

Photography Credits: James Brittain (https://www.james-brittain.com/)