The New Temple Complex was designed by James Gorst Architects for the White Eagle Lodge, a multi-faith, nondenominational spiritual organization. Comprising a temple, library, chapels, community hall, public foyer and kitchen, the building is intended to welcome visitors from all faiths and all corners of the world.

Born out of three years of conversation and consultation between the client and the community, the brief sought a wide variety of different spaces: community and public space, knowledge and study space, and sacred space. It was important to the client that the building be forward-looking, sustainable and lasting; as well as to be connected to the wider landscape and sit well within its surroundings.

James Gorst Architects were selected following a two-stage design competition in 2018 and appointed by the client, with a design that gave sensitive consideration to architecture as sacred expression.

Sitting on the border of Hampshire and West Sussex, the White Eagle Lodge site is located within the South Downs National Park, with expansive views towards the south coast. An ancient pathway, known as the Shipwright’s Way, runs beside the site, following the route used in the Tudor period for the transportation of timber from oak forests in the north of Hampshire to the shipbuilding city of Portsmouth. On its way, the footpath passes clay beds and chalk aquifers which filter the chalk streams unique to the region.

The building makes use of each of these materials: facing clay brickwork is set into chalk lime mortar, while the entire building is timber framed – with Siberian larch used externally, European spruce for the loadbearing frame and UK-grown ash for loose furniture and joinery. Selected to be self-finished, the chosen materials create a harmonious palette that encourages contemplation within the building, as well as drawing the eye out to the changing colours of the landscape and sky.

Importantly to the client, the temple’s location is believed to be grounded in an ancient ley line connecting sites of spiritual significance across the south of England. This line (or earth energy) runs on an east-west axis through the center of the site. During early design stages, ancient dousing methods were used to map these earth energies, creating an approximately 1.1m grid of the site. This became the structural grid used by the architects throughout the building.