Lighthouse Church wins top award

The Lighthouse Church in Heswall, on the Wirral, Merseyside, a new church building designed by Shedkm architects with a strong street presence and that maximises energy efficiency has won the top prizes in the prestigious Church Architecture Awards.
 
The Church Architecture Awards, run by the Ecclesiastical Architects and Surveyors Association and the National Churches Trust, were announced at a special ceremony held St Mellitus College in west London on Thursday 16 January 2025.
 
Presidents’ Award - Winner
 
The Lighthouse Church, which won the prestigious Presidents’ Award for new church buildings, replaces an existing church building and parish hall which were facing costly structural repairs. 
 
A decision was made to create an engaging, modern church building which would better serve the needs of existing worshippers. With a bold glass front, the new building has a strong street presence, inviting people to come in and engage with the church.
 
The Lighthouse Church, formerly called the Church of the Good Shepherd, was given a new name to demonstrate its outward-looking focus and the importance of being a beacon of hope for the local community. The building’s main feature is a simple pitched design beneath which the main spaces are organised with a worship space at its heart, lit by clerestory glazing and flanked by a hospitality area and a community hall. 
 
The church has been designed with net zero in mind. Natural daylight has been maximised, the building is highly insulated to keep heating demand low and it is electric only with air source heat pumps, underfloor heating and photovoltaic cells on the roof. 
 
Nigel Walter, Trustee of the National Churches Trust, presenting the Presidents’ Award, said:
 
“Congratulations to shedkm, and the Lighthouse Church in Heswall, Merseyside, for winning the Presidents’ award.”
 
“Churches need to be nourishing places, supporting congregations, local people and also visitors. That is why the Presidents’ award is so important as it celebrates both new church buildings and extensions or alterations to existing church buildings;  these all help to keep churches as important local buildings at the centre of local communities.”
 
“The Lighthouse is a church that has put hospitality, worship and service to the community at the heart of design and where a blank brick wall has been replaced with welcoming glass frontage. The new Lighthouse church is the first new public building in the local Heswall area for over fifty years; it will do much to boost the local community.”