St George's Church, Tyldesley, won the Community Unbuilt award, marking the first Buttress win in the category.
St George’s Church is a parish church in Greater Manchester, founded as a chapel in 1825. Since then, the church has survived two fires and was designated a Grade II listed building in 1966.
Buttress were appointed to review viable and sustainable options to reimagine the church and provide further inclusive and accessible community spaces.
Our approach was informed by an understanding of the context, history and significance of the building as well as extensive community and stakeholder engagement.
Cameron Hawkins, architect
"The award reflects the thoughtful vision of the PCC of St. George's and strength of the brief we were set through ongoing conversations with the church and community. The feasibility study was a direct response to the loss of public space around Tyldesley and explored internal reordering and a new extension with the aim of opening up the church to a wider audience – evolving from sacred space to shared space.
While it's really exciting to receive the award, it even more meaningful as a platform to raise awareness for the project. We hope this is just the beginning and we will see St. George's in the built category in the not-so-distant future!"
Judge, Glen Powell
“This project breaks down barriers for the community, it is a great asset and has vision and imagination. It does something very unusual with an inward-looking building and brings to the church a striking extension.”
Edward Kepczyk, director
“This win is a testament not only to bold design ambition but also to the strength of the St George’s community and the vision of our client. From the outset, the PCC articulated a clear and inspiring goal: to create accessible, inclusive spaces where everyone feels they belong. The project faithfully reflects those priorities, embodying the client’s deep commitment to people and community."
