There is growing interest among UK workplaces in creating spaces for reflection and prayer to meet the needs of employees from different faith groups and to help reduce stress. Such spaces can help comply with regulations protecting employees from religious discrimination and also offer workers a quiet place to de-stress. Motivations for developing multi-faith rooms include accommodating employees' prayer schedules and providing a sanctuary for rest and reflection. Designers and faith organizations are consulting to create spaces that appeal to diverse spiritual needs through themes of water, light, and tranquility.

1. DECEMBER 2011
PEOPLEMANAGEMENT.CO.UK48 ⁄
Spaces for reflection and prayer
are still rare in UK workplaces.
But there’s growing interest in their
potential – for meeting the needs
of people of different faith groups,
and of over-stressed employees
QUIET ROOMS
SEEK OUT
AN OASIS
OF CALM
Words: Rob MacLachlan
IMAGE:CHRISHEWSON–DESIGNERDAVIDWALKER
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2. DECEMBER 2011
PEOPLEMANAGEMENT.CO.UK ⁄ 49
O
rganisations creating the sorts of spaces
you see in these photographs tend to be
motivated by one of two strands of
thinking. The first, and more functional, is
a desire to meet the needs of faith
groups, particularly the religious commitment of
practising Muslims to pray five times a day (of which two
or three times may be during their working day). Muslim
employees generally prefer to have a prayer room on site,
rather than having to travel to the local mosque; their
employer will, in turn, benefit from the reduced
disruption. Such spaces are typically open for use by
people of other faiths – or no faith – as well.
Creating these rooms may be one of a range of policies
adopted to comply with the employment equality
regulations, which have offered protection from
discrimination on the basis of religion and belief since 2003.
But prayer rooms – which, ideally, should be located near
facilities for ritual washing – are too often seen “in the
same functional way as toilets or storage spaces”, says
Chris Hewson, who works on the Multi-faith Spaces
research project based at the University of Manchester.
Hewson says organisations in the public and voluntary
sectors tend to be more aware of the benefits of providing
multi-faith spaces. This is especially true in public services
and retail, where there is the extra business argument that
customers have prayer needs as well as staff.
The second broad motivation is to offer employees a
space in which to have “room to think” and de-stress, by
taking a short break from the relentless pressure of the
modern workplace. A good example was the Guardian
Media Group’s quiet room (see picture, overleaf), built in
2005. This room “completely transformed what was a drab,
Above: St Ethelburga’s
interfaith tent, in a courtyard
behind the church in the City of
London, is ‘an experimental
meeting space where people of
different faiths can explore
together’. Right: Prayer room at
Islamic Bank, London, designed
by Morgan Lovell. Centre: the
reflection room at the Marie
Curie Hospice in Newcastle,
designed by Helen Sanderson,
is a sanctuary for patients, their
families, and the hospice’s staff.
Far left: Quiet room at Westfield
Stratford shopping centre,
designed by David Walker.
IMAGE: MORGAN LOVELL
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3. DECEMBER 2011
PEOPLEMANAGEMENT.CO.UK50 ⁄
redundant office corner into an inviting, ambient and
calming sanctuary,” the Guardian’s then head of HR, Naomi
Lever, who commissioned the project, said at the time.
Helen Sanderson, who designed that room, is an artist
and interior designer who runs a consultancy called Quiet
Rooms Designs. A more recent client is the Marie Curie
Hospice in Newcastle, which decided to replace its chapel
with a space that could better meet the diverse religious
and spiritual needs of all its patients, their families and the
staff. The hospice consulted widely on what would appeal
to users and, as a result, Sanderson came up with a theme
based on water and waves (see page 48). “This links all the
elements in the room,” she explains, “including the central
water feature, the specially commissioned wall sculpture
and stained glass window, and the design of the glass door
panels, which creates privacy for those inside.” According
to Gill White, the hospice’s facilities manager, “the
combination of water, light and glass is very effective and
contributes to a very peaceful and contemplative space.”
One church that is leading the movement towards
multi-faith prayer rooms and quiet spaces is St
Ethelburga’s, in the heart of the City of London. Its
Bedouin tent (see previous page) is a welcoming space
for all. The church also has a best practice guide for
employers: Recovering the calm.
More advice, and even a travelling exhibition, will be
available from the Multi-faith Spaces programme at the
University of Manchester from March next year.
QUIET ROOMS
Top: Multi-faith room at Nuffield
Orthopaedic Centre, part of
Oxford University Hospitals
NHS Trust. Centre: Quiet room
at Guardian News and Media
group’s former offices in
Farringdon Road, London,
designed by Helen Sanderson.
Right: Quiet room in the
Multi-Faith Centre at the
University of Derby. Below:
Sacred space in the Spiritual
Life Center of Northeastern
University, Boston, US.
LINKS & NOTES
IMAGES:ANDREWCROMPTON;GRAHAMTURNER
E University of Manchester
research programme on
multi-faith spaces
bit.ly/ManchesterMFS
E Helen Sanderson’s
design consultancy
quietrooms.co.uk
E Copies of Recovering
the calm and details of
activities at St Ethelburga’s
stethelburgas.org
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