Church rises from the ashes
Designed by KUD Architects, the Kinglake church started with a call from architect Billy Kavellaris, director of the practice, to ABC Radio. ‘‘I contacted the station to donate my services to rebuild the church. After a moment, I found myself on air and accepted the brief,’’ said Mr Kavellaris.
KUD’s brief was to design a church that engaged a new generation, the youth, as well as the wider community.
Obviously, robust materials were required, given that two previous churches, one from the 1920s, and another from the 1970s, were destroyed. ‘‘The first church was timber, the second was brick. This one had to withstand extreme conditions,’’ said Mr Kavellaris.
While KUD Architects were mindful of the landscape, with rolling hills and distant views, they wanted to create a contemporary building for parishioners, as well as for use by the broader community for gatherings and functions.
An oversized crucifix, which appears in the concrete facade, clearly articulates the building’s primary function. The crucifix, which is back-lit at night, also acts as a beacon for those entering the Kinglake community.
Unlike many old churches, which are monumental and internalised, the Kinglake church was designed to capture distant views.
Three interlocking components, all clad in steel, in silver, black and a deep red, correlate to the Catholic teachings of ‘‘the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit’’.
The three different volumes also set up individual spatial experiences. ‘‘We wanted to draw in eastern light into the church, particularly for morning prayers,’’ said Mr Kavellaris, pointing out the angled oak-lined ceiling with pop-out celestial windows. ‘‘These windows [motorised] also purge hot air during the warmer months,’’ he added.
Although there is generous glazing in the church, both in the crucifix and floor-to-ceiling windows, each has been carefully considered to create privacy, while still providing diffused natural light. The glass in the crucifix, for example, features a pixilated image of Jesus, while the glass on the side elevations is mirrored. To appeal to a younger audience, the windows also reference the 1960s, a period of social change and enlightenment.
As well as the chapel, there is an elongated space dissecting the two other forms. This space is used by children who can’t quite make it through an entire service. The same space is also used for Sunday school, as well as for community activities. ‘‘This space is quite flexible, but we wanted to provide a similar transparency,’’ said Mr Kavellaris.
One of the most sentimental elements in the design is the tabernacle, made from bricks of the previous church. As evocative is the crucifix at the entrance to the carpark. Made of timber from the original fence, it’s a reminder of past tragedies. ‘‘We didn’t want to just create a series of geometric forms. The design is as much about the past as it is about the future of Kinglake,’’ added Mr Kavellaris.
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
The new Kinglake Catholic church was designed by KUD Architects. Director Billy Kavellaris even rang ABC Radio to offer and accept the brief to donate the practice’s services to help rebuild the church after the Black Saturday bushfires.
The church uses durable, robust materials specifically chosen after two previous churches (a 1920s timber building and a 1970s brick building) were destroyed. Key elements include steel cladding on three interlocking volumes and a concrete façade that incorporates an oversized crucifix—materials selected to better withstand extreme conditions.
KUD Architects tailored the design to engage a new generation and the broader community by creating contemporary forms, windows that reference the social-change 1960s aesthetic, flexible communal spaces (an elongated area used for children, Sunday school and community activities), and a layout that encourages gatherings and functions beyond traditional worship.
The church is composed of three steel-clad volumes in silver, black and deep red that correlate to the Catholic teachings of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. An oversized crucifix is articulated in the concrete façade (back-lit at night as a beacon), and other sentimental elements—like a tabernacle made from bricks of the previous church and a timber crucifix at the carpark made from the original fence—reference the site’s past.
The design includes generous glazing—floor-to-ceiling windows and a glazed crucifix—yet uses pixilated glass in the crucifix and mirrored glass on side elevations to provide privacy while diffusing natural light. An angled oak-lined ceiling features motorised pop-out ‘celestial’ windows that draw in eastern morning light and purge hot air during warmer months, aiding passive ventilation.
Unlike many traditional, internalised churches, the Kinglake building was designed to engage the rolling hills and distant views of the landscape. The three interlocking volumes and carefully placed glazing frame those views, creating distinct spatial experiences and connecting parishioners and visitors with the surrounding countryside.
An elongated, flexible space dissects two of the three volumes and is specifically used for children who may not sit through an entire service, as well as Sunday school and broader community activities. The design provides transparency and adaptability so the space can be used for different functions beyond regular worship.
Sentimental and material links to the past were incorporated: the tabernacle is made from bricks salvaged from the previous church, and a timber crucifix at the entrance to the carpark is made from timber taken from the original fence—serving as reminders of past tragedies while connecting the new building to the site’s history.
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