Design Directives
Expert interpretations of 21st century church building

By Ray Robinson, President, American Church Builders

Technology.
Education.
Administration.
Recreation.
When it comes to designing and building a new facility today, experts agree--these are the buzz words. Here, three industry experts share their takes on the past, present and future of church design and construction as these key elements apply.

Ministry + Adaptive Technology = The Future

One of the greatest technological advances in history was the printing press, and this invention had great impact for churches too. The age of the printing press made the Word of God available to the masses in an unprecedented way, enabling them to read and interpret it for themselves. In essence, this invention enabled people to become participants rather than simple spectators shackled to the interpretive presentations of others. This interactive process introduced masses of people to a broader concept and understanding of God and gave birth to enlightened scholars. In their quest for deeper learning, churches witnessed a spiritual awakening that would ultimately have a major impact upon both the spirituality and the facilities that house it. Thus, the church began to adapt to the societal changes taking place and it continues to do so today.

I believe three trends--technological production and educational centers, administrative facilities, and recreation/social centers--will have the greatest impact on both renovation and new construction in the church world in the near future.

Technological production centers
On the whole, pastors are spending more time in study and personal spiritual enrichment. The method of their sermonic delivery is itself a form of techno-evangelism; it has become vogue to use the latest in presentation software to present gospel messages to constituencies. Whereas particular styles of delivery might be considered a passing fad, the trend toward using technology is here to stay. The signs are clear: multiple slide projectors used extensively 10 years ago have given way to laptop computers, electronic Bibles and professionally enhanced PowerPoint presentations. This gradual shift to technology has had major impact on church design and construction since the '80s. As early as 1987, our company began incorporating a computer with a 286 processor and a keyboard at the pulpit into its designs. Though today it could be considered crude, at the time it was cutting edge in that it enabled the pastor to access the hard drive and display sermon notes. In this particular application, the pastor used a flat monitor strategically placed atop a standard overhead projector to display the image on a large screen.

Times have certainly changed. Today, the chancel or platform area of the church is the product of a hefty transformation. What used to be a place where simple Christmas and Easter dramas and children's plays were performed is now a complete theatrical production stage. This area of the church often uses theatrical curtains and rigging; technologically advanced stage, sound and lighting packages; and special floors with hydraulically controlled platforms that can be raised and lowered. In some churches, special rigging even enables people dressed as angels to "fly" across the room. Architects, engineers and builders are struggling to keep up with the voracious technological appetite of the 21st century church. All major systems of the building are being affected, including the structural elements. Stage lighting requirements impact the electrical, cooling and mechanical systems. The ability to fly angels, for example, requires special point loading that will certainly increase the costs of the structural package. High-tech stage lighting alone requires additional electrical amperage, increasing the cost of a facility's electrical system. The additional heat generated by thousands of watts of lighting requires several tons of additional cooling, further upping the cost of cooling the church.

Educational centers
Our architects are currently designing facilities to take advantage of distant learning technology that once was available only to large secular and corporate clients. In the church world, pastors can use this same technology to bring multiple congregations together.

For example, one of our mega church clients planted several daughter churches at different locations throughout the city, and the architectural department is designing this facility to support two-way interaction between them. Two-way connectivity will play a major role in evangelizing the world since children of the current generation are being raised in an environment in which interactive television, video and computer games play a dominant role. The two-way trend has also carried over into the design of new church facilities. Many of ACB's designs include Sunday School classrooms that feature large-screen monitors with computer-generated image display capability and Surround Sound. These rooms are being designed for age-appropriateness using all kinds of models, from multimedia-enhanced college lecture halls to nurseries equipped with the latest technology geared toward children. Learning labs using the latest in virtual technology have the greatest impact on Christian education right now. Before long, students will be able to enter virtual realistic worlds and interact with Bible characters. A young person in the not-so-distant future might assume the role of young David and go down into the valley to fight a virtual Goliath.

Administrative facilities
We in the building industry are seeing a large percentage of our church clients using paid staff to run the day-to-day operations of the church. This makes it imperative to design administrative areas that tap into workers' creative abilities. Administrative areas run the gamut, resembling hotel lobbies, living rooms, conference centers, lounges and coffee bars. Large-screen televisions, along with computer networks, are used to promote interactivity and productivity among staff members both in-house and off-campus. When it comes to conference centers, the focus is on true interactivity using the latest in multimedia technology that helps churches with large staffs fulfill their missions.

Recreation and social centers
The church now plays a vital role in ministering to the spiritual, physical and social needs of its members as well as the community-at-large. Several of the large projects we are currently working on were designed to reflect this new ministry (and consequently, design) philosophy. Recreational spaces now include running tracks, the occasional bowling alley, rock climbing walls and Nautilus workout rooms. These spaces are more consistent with health and fitness centers than the simple church gymnasiums of the past.

Creating a New Thematic Identity for the Church

By David A. Price, AIA, David A. Price Associates

Kid Kountry Preschool at A Community of Joy in Glendale, Ariz. is, Price says, a good example of a facility with thematic identity.

Cavemen painted the wall and Michaelangelo painted the ceiling. Such places are steeped in thematic meaning. Today, we are painting a new canvas. Like our predecessors, our canvas has much to do with how we live and love one another in today's complex and changing times.

The story of God's love told against the backdrop of our times provides special opportunities for a rich and diverse thematic setting for mission center development. What might be some of the church's new thematic identities?

A sense of community
We live at a time when the world is marked by forces of rapid-fire change. Advances in transportation, telecommunications, science, medicine and the technologies of war have followed us from one century to the next. The gentle and powerful face of the planet, the rich diversity and complexity of nature, even the patterns of weather are feeling the punches of new technology and the weight of numbers. Our social patterns and our sense of community are frequently under assault. Whether we are working or at play, the historic institutions that fostered community are not there as they were. The mom-and-pop corner store, the friendly bank, the small school, the local gas station and the safe street have often disappeared. A sense of community is what people want.

How is society responding? Retail developers are building themed environments that create social and physical forms of community. Residential developers are building lifestyle communities with thematic and reassuring identities. Resort developers are building highly submersive environments where guests share in the magic, pleasure and comforts of the community. City officials and urban planners are striving for solutions and ideas that transform downtown into a friendly and inviting community. And for years, the theme park has provided a unique form of community for its guests.

How is the church responding? Successful churches clearly understand the value of community.

In doing so, churches are building environments that are sometimes secular and more familiar to people. Such places as malls, specialty stores, food courts, themed restaurants, coffee houses, theaters, sports parks and family entertainment centers may provide not only expanded ministry opportunities but suggest special environmental settings and qualities that may be appropriately transposed into the fabric and development framework of a church community campus. In addition to these built environments, their associated technologies, operational practices and services suggest ideas and practices that may be helpful to churches seeking to expand outreach.

The community church campus represents far more than a particular building or arrangement of buildings. It is intended to be a center of community life, developed within a very special architectural, educational, recreational and spiritual context. Its pervasive goal is to change the way we live, work and play. It is the task of architecture to translate that aspiration into physical reality.

In our efforts to build successful community church campuses, we must learn from what is occurring in related industries that surround us, be they entertainment, retail, food service, hospitality, recreation or housing. The credo is exactly what Walt Disney championed:

Do it better.
Make it special.
Have fun doing it.
Commit.

Stewards of the land
We are also stewards of the land. Blessings of nature are bestowed upon us. Churches have a special responsibility to lead humanity toward a heightened and enlightened environmental responsibility.

Stepping out of the box
To do it right, the church will have to step out of the box it sometimes inhabits. An enormous un-churched and spiritually hungry market awaits churches that are willing to respond to this calling.

The expanded functions of the mission center can create centers of community life where love and faith prosper. Inevitably, mistakes will be made. Flexibility is required to minimize error. It is a call for responding to the needs of your community and expanding outreach. Above all:

Do it right --as Jesus would have you do.
Make it a special place --where love and faith prosper.
Have fun doing it --Rejoice in God's work.
Commit --for great things can come of it.

Coffee, Donut and "The Good Book"

By Jerry L. Halcomb, AIA, CSI, NCARB, President and CEO, HH Architects

In addition to the tide of technology advancement, one of the many emerging positive trends in the design and planning of churches over the past few years has been the recognition of the importance of providing spaces for fellowship gatherings. When you study the word "fellowship" in the New Testament, you quickly learn that it does not constitute a superficial "How was your week?"-type of communication.

There is nothing wrong with "small talk" in the church since every encounter we have lends itself to deeper discussion. However, churches need to help both casual and closer kinds of fellowship occur. Not all fellowship needs to happen in a formal fellowship hall; it can take place wherever people gather. It may be surprising, but church buildings can either thwart or promote fellowship. To properly design spaces for any activity or function, one must first determine what is to happen in those spaces. This is even more critical when designing churches because it requires understanding the nature of the church and what should go on there.

In the past, the church narthex was often a small, dark, crowded area used only for the brief transition from entry opening to the street. It lacked the parking to allow it to function as anything else. Today, churches are taking advantage of the lobby entry and expanding it into a large multi-use or multi-function space to provide opportunities for fellowship, dining, weddings, receptions and a variety of other events.

Some churches create atrium lobbies that function as part of "Main Street." Not only does this space move people clearly and efficiently from place to place, it becomes a "circulation spine," tying together all the facility's other functional elements in well-organized fashion. An atrium lobby also provides one of the largest open spaces in the church. Atriums offer both active areas as well as small eddies or nooks where two or three people might venture away from the crowd and have meaningful fellowship or share a quiet prayer. Interior play spaces for children with benches nearby also allow parents to share and encourage one another, facilitating true fellowship while letting them to keep an eye on their children.

Do not dismiss the donut wholly
In the past, I have been accused of seeking out church planning and architectural clients located near a Krispy Kreme donut shop or a Starbucks--but this is not really true! However, I have acquired a taste for both, having worked for many churches that introduced me to these finer things in life.

Providing a church coffee/snack shop is not at all an extravagance. Rather than redirecting parents to the local coffee shop, having one on campus can be a real benefit for everyone. The smell of fresh baked bread or cookies is very appealing, and a small bakery can certainly be an asset to any activity space. Some churches even provide food courts much like those in shopping centers and airport terminals.

A few other amenity options accessible to the fellowship mall or atrium are a church library or Christian bookstore. Some churches have even provided a small bank in the atrium lobby.

In any case, this fellowship space might be the site for a lunch meeting, a small wedding or a reception, making it a very multi-functional area. The main entry to the church should enter into this space. Here, visitors should find a welcome center, a long counter for information about various ministry activities, and television monitors to view services and announcements. It is also critical to include an ample supply of properly designed restroom facilities, especially women's restrooms. The small time allowed between multiple services requires double the number of restroom fixtures for women as for men, and churches today are making the effort to provide better, more accessible accommodations with baby-changing tables.

Consideration should be given to finishes in large, open spaces to create the desired atmosphere. Hard surfaces make your space lively; then use a soft, quieter material (like carpet) approaching the worship center or sanctuary.