Rake, Hampshire, United Kingdom
Commissioned by The White Eagle Lodge, the New Temple Complex redesigned by James Gorst Architects and McWilliam Studio is a building characterized by peace and simplicity where the architects have used a restrained palette of timber, brick, and chalk lime mortar typical of the Hampshire context.
James Gorst Architects has completed a new temple complex in the village of Rake, Hampshire, within the South Downs National Park.
The practice was selected following a two-stage design competition in early 2017 with a brief to replace the existing dilapidated 1970s complex.
The new building, which is open to the public, comprises a temple, library, chapels, meeting spaces, a public foyer, and a catering kitchen within newly landscaped grounds.
The rationalized plan is organized as a series of orthogonal pavilions connected by a cloistered walkway, facing onto a central courtyard garden.
The internal arrangement follows a progression from secular to ritual spaces, moving from a timber portico and social foyer at the visitor entrance in the east, through to the main temple space in the west.
The architects adopted a “fabric-first” approach to the build, with the main structural frame entirely constructed off-site from glue-laminated timber, engineered to eliminate the need for any steelwork.
Underfloor heating is provided by a ground source heat pump that is buried in the landscape, with additional power provided by photovoltaic panels.
The inner temple’s pre-cast pendentive arches provide thermal mass.
A raised floor slab naturally cools the internal spaces with fresh air supplied by an underground labyrinth ventilation system, while high-level actuators in the temple clerestory allow warm air to escape.
Project: New Temple Complex
Architects: James Gorst Architects
Landscape Architects: McWilliam Studio
Project Manager: Jackson Coles
Client: The White Eagle Lodge
Photographers: Rory Gardiner
