The Grade A listed St Paul's & St George's Scottish Episcopal Church on York Place has won the Edinburgh Architectural Association Building of the Year Award 2009.

The vision by Lee Boyd Architects was to make the building fit for a contemporary role, sustain its use as a place of congregation for years to come, double its capacity and create a multi-purpose space for a large number of church groups.

The £5.1m expansion and total internal renovation by Clark Contracts over two years since 2006 included: construction of new balconies on three sides to increase capacity from 400 to 800 people, creation of three new floors of flexible meeting space to accommodate church and community activities.

A glass pavilion was erected at the entrance of the 19th century church to provide a new welcome area.


Alan Thomson, Director, Lee Boyd Architects said: "Clark Contracts have delivered exactly the vision that we had for St Paul's & St George's Scottish Episcopal Church and winning the award is testament to that. The response received from the congregation has been overwhelming and they certainly seem to be enjoying the use of their new modern facilities."

David Cooper, Construction Director of Clark Contracts added: "We are delighted that the Church has won the award and that Clark Contracts were chosen to handle this ambitious and prestigious refurbishment project."

The judges commented: "This is an exemplary transformation of an important city church to meet the significant new needs of a growing congregation. It has an elegant, delicate porch extension, enhanced balcony seating and a comprehensive range of ancillary accommodation in the new wing, a highly flexible solution stitched sensitively into the existing listed building. It is a complete project beautifully resolved in both grand and minor details."

St Paul's & St George's Scottish Episcopal Church was also shortlisted in the Scottish Design Awards 2009 - Reuse of a Listed Building and in the RIBA Awards 2009.

Founded in 1978, Clark Contracts has grown to employ over 200 staff at offices in Paisley, covering the West of Scotland, and Edinburgh, covering the East. Around 80% of the company's work is repeat business and six out of ten is from customers who have worked with Clark Contracts for five years or more.

(GK/JM)