St Mary's Convent takes home Schüco Award – Latest

Our St. Mary’s Convent project in Wantage was awarded the Schüco Award for Refurbishment and Adaptive Reuse. The design by Hall McKnight received high praise from the panel of judges, who admired the project's sensitivity and attention to detail.

The St. Mary's Convent project involved a series of adjustments to an existing 19th-century Church of England Convent. Elliott Wood collaborated closely with Hall McKnight and the project team on the refurbishment, resulting in a remarkable transformation that balances preservation with modern functionality.

Whilst primarily focussed around changes to internal layouts to accommodate new functions (including office space and conferencing facilities), the project includes two new elements (an entrance building and a stair tower) which resolve current circulatory problems and recover a coherent pattern of circulation.

One of the key additions to the convent are the glazed entrance arches, which seamlessly modulate changes in space, materiality, texture, and light. The judges were particularly impressed by this element, commending its elegant integration into the overall design.

A huge congratulations to Hall McKnight and the entire project team!