Glasgow’s New Church Is Going To Be Rubbish
An artist’s impression of what the new community centre in Milton will look like
A new church is set to be built in Glasgow made out of recycled items ranging from empty beer cans to bales of straw. The church, theatre, and community centre will be situated in Milton, north Glasgow. It has been described as one of the country’s most ambitious recycling projects, and it has had the backing from the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council, and the National Lottery in the form of financial grants. The locals are doing their bit too: over two tonnes of aluminimum cans have been collected already, with the hope to collect another two. Many of the cans are going to be used to build walls and furniture, and the rest are to be sold to help raise funds for the project. The minister of Colston Milton Parish Church, Reverend Christopher Rowe says that the local community love the concept of a church being built with the help of old lager cans. “I think they find something ironic and rather amusing about it.”
Work on an “energy hub” and community centre – the project’s phase 1 – is already underway, and after that they intend to build the church, a cafe, offices, a gallery, and a theatre, all set within a landscaped garden. It is hoped that the project will be completed by April 2014.
Rev. Christopher Rowe said, “We are creating our new building ourselves – one can, one tyre, one straw bale at a time. The people of Milton will be building out of material commonly regarded as rubbish, things that people throw away but which in reality could be given another life in all sorts of ways.” Rowe adds that the recycling will help cut landfill pollution. “Our aim is to create a building with as many recycled materials as possible to use less energy and create fewer emissions.” The construction will recycle 12 shipping containers, over 500 old car tyres, and 300 timber pallets, amongst other things. The project’s co-ordinator and architect, Lee Ivett said, “We plan to transform the tyres into foundations, cans into walls and shipping containers into a sustainable community space. In turn we are saving raw materials and money. It will demonstrate the value of recycling in a building project that will ultimately be a much-needed resource for the people of Milton. A hands-on approach is the most appropriate way of demonstrating the benefits of a sustainable lifestyle that has recycling and re-use as a key component. Our projects provide a means of empowering the community in a manner that is economic, resourceful, sustainable and enriching.”
