Destroyed by fire in 2006, St Barnabas Church in Sydney was redesigned and rebuilt in 2012. The design incorporates elements of the old church building, but is an entirely modern, clean and light space.
![St Barnabas](https://livingedge.com.au/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-shared_library/default/dw5a3f79c7/blog-post/404_Churches_0005_1920x1080.jpg)
The building houses a flexible 600-seat worship space, a multi-purpose hall, administrative offices and meeting rooms, and underground parking for up to 80 cars. The decision to use Howe 40/4 chairs was not one that was made lightly.
![St Barnabas](https://livingedge.com.au/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-shared_library/default/dwd7effdb8/blog-post/StBarnabas_0000_1920x1080.jpg)
The chairs had to fit an extensive brief - they needed to have a small footprint to enable as many seats as possible within the space, they needed to be comfortable for sitting in for extended periods of time, and they needed to be beautiful - to align with the stunning interiors created by FJMT architects.