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 


© James Pringle


© James Pringle


Left: Carved doors at the main entrance


C


ontractors take a pride in completing jobs on time and within budget, but when it came to building the most elaborate Sikh temple outside of India, the project


called for a different approach. The task was tackled in stages, after funds became available


for each phase. Construction was spread over nine years, costing £12 million in total and boosted by materials, items and services donated by local businesses – giving north Kent the Guru Nanak Marg Gurdwara Temple: the largest temple of its kind in the UK. Gurdwara means ‘Guru’s home’ and the location is usually a place of historical significance to Sikhs. For project manager Teja Harbhajan Biring of construction


consultants Calfordseaden, it has been a labour of love over 14 years since the temple was first proposed. The temple has taken shape in Saddington Street in Gravesend, Kent – and it is an extraordinary building. The project has been funded entirely by the local population,


mainly through donations to the Gurdwara and regular collections. The achievement is all the more remarkable in view of the fact


that it was built partly by volunteers, before stonemasons were brought in from India to undertake nearly three years’ work. With a growing Sikh population (the third largest in the UK)


the local community in Gravesend had outgrown its existing premises by the late 1990s. So in 2001 the Gurdwara purchased an area of land off Saddington Street, Gravesend – a brownfield site spanning more than 3.25 hectares – adjacent to their existing football pitches, sports centre and car parks. This made it possible to combine all the main community activities on one site.


“I helped the community with the purchasing of the land, then


obtained outline and detailed planning approval and designed the building to make it as authentic as possible,” says Biring. He and his Calfordseaden colleagues worked closely with the


Sikh community to develop the brief for the project. With demand for more prayer space it was decided to incorporate three diwan (prayer) halls with a total capacity for 1,200 people, along with and two langar (dining) halls. Early discussions iden- tified the need for the building to be a focal point for the whole community, with a wide range of facilities including a library, a lecture theatre, a bookshop, an IT training suite, a large refec- tory, a crèche and general purpose meeting rooms. There was a feeling that the building should reflect the


Indian cultural origins of the community. This was to be a land- mark project reflecting the growing confidence of the Sikh community in Britain. Taking full advantage of the skills existing in the local com-


munity, Biring got together with the client to set up their own construction operation as a limited company, wherever possible employing local tradesmen and subcontractors. After research in the UK and India, it became clear that the


best way to achieve the traditional detailing was to source the stone and the timber carvings from India. Biring visited India and identified a stone masonry company and specialist wood carvers who had the right expertise. The timber carving was divided into two packages, because of the amount of work involved: one for the doors and the other for the main staircase. The building’s exterior is clad in a combination of granite and marble. The granite was selected for its durability, while the ...continued on page 25


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