As part of its recent makeover, the Crossing Church and Centre in Worksop now features an unusual and stunning glazing exterior from Pilkington.
Unusually for a church, it incorporates a total of 124 square metres of external floor to ceiling Pilkington Planar™ structural glass to the ground and first floors. The system comprises 10mm green heat soaked toughened glass, 16mm air space black spacers and 6mm clear heat soaked toughened Pilkington K Glass™, all installed using ‘Pilkington Planar™ 905-J seismic’ fittings back to 12mm clear heat soaked toughened glass fins.
The innovative design follows a serpentine shape in the section of the façade that faces the main street, which can be seen by passers-by as well as the regular congregation. The first floor glazing also has a white ‘acid etch effect’ screen printed band to the lower part of the units, adding to its distinctive design.
The inspirational design features two wings, symbolising two welcoming outstretched arms, to encourage visitors to enter the church. It also utilises green heat soaked toughened glass, used to complement the different shades of yellow and red that are already present in one of the church’s stained glass features.
Mark Goodwill-Hodgson, architect at Inclusive Design Limited said: “The idea was to have an open, welcoming façade. We have achieved this through a combination of tinted green glass and the delicate “s” shaped design. We used Pilkington Planar™ because as market leaders Pilkington’s product has a good reputation and their service is second to none. It was also the ideal product for us to achieve the design that we were looking for.”
John Rusbatch, of OJ Taffinder Ltd, installers on the project said: “This innovative application of Pilkington Planar™ demonstrates, once again, the versatility of the product and its suitability for a range of applications. We are delighted that we were able to work with the team at Worksop Church to enhance the design of this new community facility.”