Great Coates is a village of approximately 650 houses in North East Lincolnshire. The village has no pubs or shops. Half of the village lies within a conservation area while the other half backs onto an industrial estate. JHA were appointed to design the village hall in 2008 and worked closely with the village council and the community to develop the brief.
The massing and scale of the building was driven by functional requirements and a desire to create a building that reflects its typology externally. It has the presence of a hall but also makes reference to the scale of the agricultural farm building along the lane and surrounding dwellings. The walls of the hall are constructed in large vertical planks of marine ply coated in black bitumen paint. The roof is clad in standing seam zinc taking on the appearance of the nearby church. All openings are protected externally by intricate metal security screens. The screens are constructed from mild steel helping to give the building a crafted feel. Some of the screens slide back to allow access whilst others are permanently fixed.
The entrance hall is a double height space in contrast to the modestly scaled toilet and kitchen rooms off the entrance hall. The main hall is entered via a set of double doors. As you enter this building the generous scale is overwhelming, natural light washes down through a glass ridge. At the northern end a stage can be erected for plays. There is a long narrow window to the north-eastern wall of the main hall which gives passers-by a glimpse into the building. There are large glazed opening doors to the western elevation of this room with views of the wild flower meadow and paddock beyond. The building possesses a quality of being crafted by hand and not the precision of the machine.
The budget for the project was a modest £300K. The completed hall now hosts a wide range of activities and is enjoyed by many different sectors of the local and wider community.
