WGA’s Approach to Ecclesiastical Design and Restoration

Recognition for Trinity Church, Aberdeen

External view of Trinity Church, Aberdeen, following the restoration and upgrade.

Trinity Church, Aberdeen has been selected as a finalist in the Presidents’ Award category at the 2026 Church Architecture Awards. The awards are organised jointly by the National Churches Trust and the Ecclesiastical Architects and Surveyors Association, EASA. Wilson Gunn Architects is the architect for the project.

The recognition places Trinity Church alongside other church projects assessed for the quality of their new work, reordering, extensions and alterations to existing buildings.

Working with an existing church

Trinity Church is an existing religious building in Aberdeen. The project, recorded by WGA as a 2023 scheme, centres on the restoration and upgrade of the church, with the addition of a new entrance and family areas.

Working with an existing church requires a clear understanding of what is already present before decisions about change can be made. The building may carry architectural, social and spiritual significance. Its value is not limited to its appearance. It also relates to how people arrive, gather, worship, meet and use the building over time.

The first architectural questions are therefore direct.

What is significant?

What needs to change?

Which elements should remain evident?

Where can new work improve the building without weakening its character?

These questions establish a practical framework for design. They help distinguish between fabric that requires care, spaces that need adaptation and areas where a contemporary intervention can provide a clear improvement.

For WGA, restoration is not an exercise in returning every part of a building to one historic moment. It is a process of understanding the existing building and making carefully considered decisions about its future use.

Balancing repair, adaptation and contemporary use

Church buildings are often expected to support a range of activities. Their role may include worship, gathering, teaching, family use and wider community activity. These requirements can place pressure on buildings that were designed for different patterns of occupation.

A successful project must balance several priorities:

• Respect for the existing building

• Clear and practical circulation

• Appropriate access

• Flexible use of space

• A welcoming point of arrival

• Careful integration of new elements

• Long-term maintainability

The confirmed scope at Trinity Church includes a new entrance and family areas. These interventions show how relatively focused changes can support a wider programme of use. An entrance is not simply a doorway. It establishes arrival, orientation and the relationship between the building and the people who use it. Family areas require similar clarity. They should be identifiable, practical and connected to the wider building without compromising the character of the church.

The architectural response should be proportionate to the brief. Not every requirement needs a major intervention. In many existing buildings, the strongest result comes from a series of precise decisions that improve use while allowing the original building to remain legible.

Making change respectful and legible

New work within an existing church should be identifiable as a contemporary layer. This does not mean that it must be visually separate in every instance. It means that the relationship between old and new should be understood.

There are two common risks. New work can imitate the existing building too closely, creating confusion between historic fabric and later intervention. Alternatively, it can become detached from the character, scale and material logic of the church.

WGA’s approach is based on architectural judgement rather than a fixed visual formula. The correct response depends on the building, the brief and the degree of change required.

A new intervention should be:

• Clear in purpose

• Appropriate in scale

• Carefully positioned

• Compatible with the existing building

• Detailed to a suitable standard

• Able to support future maintenance and use

This approach protects the identity of the church while allowing it to continue developing. The existing building remains central, but it is not treated as untouchable or disconnected from present needs.

Designing for people and future use

Ecclesiastical design is ultimately concerned with people. The quality of a project is measured not only through its architectural composition, but also through how effectively the building supports those who use it.

Arrival should be clear. Movement should be understandable. Spaces should support different activities without unnecessary complexity. Areas for families should be considered as part of the whole building rather than as an isolated addition.

These principles apply to church restoration and to the wider adaptation of historic buildings. A building is more likely to remain valued when it can support relevant use. Careful adaptation can help maintain continuity while responding to changing patterns of occupation.

Interior view of the church following the restoration and upgrade.

At Trinity Church, the new entrance and family areas form part of the project’s confirmed upgrade of the existing church. They demonstrate the importance of linking physical change to the way the building needs to operate. The purpose of restoration is not only to protect what exists. It is also to support the building’s next stage of use.

What Trinity Church demonstrates about WGA’s approach

Trinity Church provides a focused example of WGA’s approach to ecclesiastical design and restoration.

The work begins with the existing building. It treats the church as a place with established character, but also as a building that must remain useful. It considers where change is necessary and how new requirements can be introduced without losing architectural clarity.

The project also demonstrates the value of restraint. The available project information identifies a clear scope: restoration and upgrade of the existing church, a new entrance and family areas. These decisions are specific and purposeful. They do not rely on unnecessary complexity.

WGA’s approach is based on respect, collaboration and attention to quality. We work to understand the significance of an existing building, define the practical requirements and develop interventions that are appropriate to both. The result should be a building that retains its identity while functioning effectively for its current and future users.

The selection of Trinity Church as a finalist in the Presidents’ Award recognises the importance of this balance. Church architecture requires care for the existing building and confidence in making necessary change. Both are part of responsible architectural practice.

If you’re considering the repair, adaptation or redevelopment of a church or historic building, we’d be happy to discuss how the building might work differently for its next chapter. View the Trinity Church project or visit the National Church Awards 2026 finalists page.