Cottrell & Vermeulen Architects have drawn up plans for a new church and community hub for the parish of St Stephen’s in Southend-on-Sea, where the vicar is a former architect.

The practice, which was BD’s Architect of the Year in 2016, created a scheme to replace the church’s existing dilapidated facilities in the Prittlewell neighbourhood with a modular design that can easily be expanded as the community’s needs evolve and extra funding becomes available.

Its design features low-cost rectangular structures that can accommodate many different uses, arranged beneath a tall, tent-like structure supported by a steel frame that gives the building a clear and striking identity, as well as providing shelter to the spaces beneath.

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