Futuna Chapel Reopens After Major Restoration
On 21 March 2026, Futuna Chapel reopened to the public following the successful restoration of its distinctive roof, coloured windows and original colour scheme.
With an accurate resemblance to the original roof of 1961, the new roof is tiled in Italian porcelain from Fiorano Modenese in Italy held securely by a world first bespoke fixing system designed by architect Dr Peter Parkes and heritage structural engineer, Win Clark.
Reroofed in 1994 with bituminous tiles this material wasn’t long lasting and they quickly became seriously compromised by wind and a faulty gutter system which resulted in considerable damage to the roofing timbers and spalling of the concrete base. As a result, the integrity of the building was under threat.
To halt the deterioration the Futuna Chapel Trust put together a team led by Dr Parkes, Win Clark and building contractors LT McGuinness who worked under urgency to replace the failing roof tiles with new tiles fabricated by water jet cutting them from Laminam sheets imported from Italy by Laminex.
The tiles replicate the original white fibre cement asbestos tiles used on the original roof in 1961 but they’re significantly superior in terms of their longevity with a lifespan of more than 100 years.
To fix the tiles, Dr Parkes and Win Clark created a specialised fixing system so that they could move under seismic, wind and thermal forces. This system uses a suspension system with rubber bearings between them in the form of rubber packing washers. This creates a drained cavity system with the tiles acting as a rainscreen, mounted on counter battens on a water resistant FiberTite membrane.
Alongside the restoration of the roof, the coloured acrylic windows, which cast unique patterns of coloured daylight, have been strengthened and painted, and new flashings have been installed.
Despite its physical completion, the restoration project (which was 10 years in the planning) hasn’t been without surprises including asbestos in the roof cavity and undulations in the roof framing. As a result, the Trust continues to fundraise to cover the outstanding costs.
Click the button below to gift a tile.
The Chapel Under the Shroud
View a slice of the Chapel restoration here.
https://vimeo.com/1162908435/cbe2c6a7bc?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=c
Restoration Image Gallery
Photo credit Paul McCredie
