- Wesleyan House Methodist International Church is a 21-storey tower in Hong Kong
- It holds 11,000 square metres of space on an 800-square-metre plot
- The tower includes a worship hall, auditorium, eight office floors and staff housing
- A Sky Chapel sits on the 21st floor
The Methodist International Church in Hong Kong now worships in a 21-storey tower, Wesleyan House, designed by Rocco Design Architects, Dezeen reported on October 31, 2019.
The building stands on the corner of two major roads near the Happy Valley Racecourse. It provides 11,000 square metres of space on a plot of just 800 square metres. A worship hall occupies the basement, the entrance lobby is at street level and the main auditorium is on the first floor. Above are a children’s room, an activity room and a choir-practice room, followed by eight floors of offices. The top three floors hold staff residences, and a Sky Chapel sits on the 21st floor.
“This is not the first skyscraper for church functions, but is apparently the first where religious gatherings take place both close to the ground and at the top-most floor,” said architect Rocco Yim. Dezeen described it as the first church to occupy an entire high-rise building.
The design packs worship, offices and housing into a small footprint in one of the world’s most expensive property markets.
Jamaican congregations on small urban lots, particularly in Kingston and Montego Bay, often assume that the only choice when they outgrow a site is to move. Wesleyan House shows another path. Building upward can add offices, meeting rooms and even housing on the same land. Height limits, parking rules and cost will limit what is possible, but a church that owns a well-located lot should look at its full development potential before selling or relocating.
Follow Jamaica Homes on Youtube @jamaicahomes and Instagram @jamaica_homes and on Facebook @jamaicahomesnews Send us a message or email us at onlinefeedback@jamaica-homes.com or editor@jamaica-homes.com
Visit our YouTube Community ↗