Jasmax gives Waiuku church $1.5m extension

The Waiuku Districts Combined Church has been extended with a new sanctuary, lounge, kitchen, office and meeting rooms.

One of the country's most awarded architectural firms has completed a $1.5 million refurbishment and enlargement of a church just south of Auckland.

Auckland firm Jasmax designed changes to the Waiuku Districts Combined Church, extending it by designing a new sanctuary, lounge, kitchen, office and meeting rooms.

Hamish Boyd, project director at Jasmax, said the original A-frame structure was retained and the new sanctuary was inserted on the south side to increase seating capacity and change the focus into a semicircle community model.

The church space was reorganised and Jasmax said the intention was to open up the facility more to the community.

The new additions intersect the existing dominant A-frame structure, with large amounts of glazing to each side.

"The notion of wrapping is taken from the original church and developed with the new works, with careful attention placed on transitions between old and new," Jasmax said of the project.

"The facility is intended to become more than a simple church, with the ability to operate as a theatre for performance, as a functions venue and youth and community centre."

As well as functioning as a church, the building is hired out for dinners, performances, conferences, meetings and special events.

Last month, Jasmax won one of four supreme awards from the Institute of Architects for its 10-level AUT Business School project.

Jasmax said the AUT building celebrated the university's relationship with the city.

"The building form, which is articulated as a woven basket, has been prised apart to reveal the community using the space created within."