Commercial
CHURCHES THROUGHOUT THE UK AND THE WORLD THAT HAVE BEEN CONVERTED INTO COMMERCIAL / RETAIL PROPERTIES
Zara Store in the Convent of San Antonio el Real, Salamanca
Type: Commercial
Use: Clothing Store
Photo Credit: Pinterest
The 18th-century Convent of San Antonio el Real in Salamanca has been converted by Inditex into a flagship Zara store. The project carefully restored the Baroque façades while adapting the interior into a modern retail space, blending vaulted ceilings and cloistered areas with contemporary design. This sensitive reuse preserved the convent’s historic character while giving it a sustainable new commercial role in the city centre.
All Souls', Bolton
Type: Commercial
Use: Offices + Cafe + Community + Multifunctional
Architects: OMI Architects
Photo Credit: OMI / Daniel Hopkinson
Following a a multi-million pound regeneration, the Grade II* listed All Souls’ Church in Bolton has been transformed into a striking commercial and community centre featuring two freestanding “pods” within its nave. These modern, prefabricated SIP structures house a café, restaurant, meeting and event spaces, offices, classrooms, and heritage learning areas. Careful design ensures the pods are set back from the church’s original walls, preserving the visibility of its ornate roof, stained glass, and historic character, while enabling the building to function as a dynamic commercial and cultural hub.
Torre Girona Chapel, Barcelona
Type: Commercial
Use: Supercomputer / Data Center
Architects: BAAS Arquitectura
Photo Credit: BSC
The deconsecrated 19th-century Torre Girona chapel on the UPC campus has been adaptively reused as the home of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, housing the MareNostrum supercomputer inside a purpose-built glass enclosure that preserves the nave and architectural volume. Minimal interventions—structural reinforcement and services integration—allowed a full, modern data-centre installation while retaining the chapel’s historic character; the site is often described as one of the world’s most beautiful data centres. Today it supports advanced research across Europe, demonstrating how even sacred heritage can be sustainably repurposed for high-tech commercial and scientific use.
St. Matthew's Church, Hull
Type: Commercial
Use: Offices + Multifunctional Spaces
Photo Credit: The Hull Story / Giroscope
St Matthew’s Church on Anlaby Road, Hull, a Grade II listed building, has been converted into a commercial and community enterprise centre (St Matthew’s Community Enterprise Centre) by regeneration charity Giroscope. Reopening after conversion in 2025, the project introduced a mezzanine with six offices and a meeting room, a new kitchen, underfloor heating, rooftop solar panels, and restored its First World War memorial window, transforming the former church into a sustainable workspace and community hub while retaining its historic character.
St. Thomas', Southwark
Type: Commercial
Use: Offices
Architects: Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
Photo Credit: Allford Hall Monaghan Morris website
St Thomas’ (by Thomas Cartwright, 1703) was turned into an office for developer Cathedral Group with minimal intervention – simply the insertion of furniture and upgrading of services. A glass balustrade has been added to the balcony for compliance with building regulations requirements. Meeting rooms were put in the crypt.
