University of Chichester chapel could be refurbished as plans submitted to district council

The plans could see the chapel, on the university’s Bishop Otter campus, benefit from refurbishment and replacement works to its roof, flooring and window glazing.

Dating from the early 1960s, the building has suffered significant water ingress through both, the windows and the end-of-life roof coverings, according to a design and access statement submitted as part of the plans. This has destroyed the timber floor finish, and led to serious internal staining to the internal sarking boards.

Another pressing concern is the building’s energy efficiency. The same design statement makes clear that the chapel performs poorly throughout the winter and summer months; ‘almost un-heatable’ in the cold, and far too hot in the warm.

Although the building is not listed, the University is keen to undertake the upgrades in a manner which acknowledges the local significance of the building and there are no plans to change its overall structure.

To ensure this happens, the original manufacturer was approached to assess the condition of the building’s iconic Crittal windows, but inspection revealed that re-puttying is likely to break up to 95 per cent of the windows. As a result, designers have proposed replacing the windows with colour tinted double glazing which, they say, will prove more energy efficient without changing the building’s appearance. To minimise the impact of the change, the proposed design would replicate the original layout and sequences of the chapel’s windows.

In order to amend the roof – which is part of why the building is so difficult to heat during winter – designers are proposing to replace the existing roof with a thinner material like slate, in order to make room for more insultation without significantly altering the fascia of the building. If plans are approved, the slate should only raise the roof by about 8mm, which, designers say, should not significantly change the building’s outline.

"The new roof works will improve the airtightness and thermal performance of the roof assisting the University with their sustainability goals and ensuring the building is resilient in the future,” the design statement says.