Friends House

Friends House is the home of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain. The Grade II building by Hubert Lidbetter won the RIBA Bronze Medal in 1927. JMP's refurbishment has transformed the Large Meeting House, creating a versatile, accessible and multi-functional auditorium space that now accommodates 1,100 people and responds to the growing needs of the outreach and social programmes at Friends House. The redesign has created a coherent and dynamic space – moveable raked seating allows a range of configurations and a dramatic rooflight fills the space with daylight. Now fully accessible, the reconfigured congregation space is inclusive, calm and luminous. The practice has also designed a new reception area, breakout spaces and meeting rooms, as well as award-winning landscaped gardens that provide an elegant setting for Friends House.