Designs of the Times
A brief history of auditorium planning and its effect on the shape of things to come

By Ray Robinson

This scripture makes it clear that God considered creating a meeting place--a point at which humanity and deity could meet--a serious proposition. The original tabernacle served as a place for the high priest to meet and hear from God, but it was constructed to serve a myriad of functions. This seems especially true in reference to its interior design--a brazen altar for sacrifices, a laver of water for baptisms and an altar of incense for prayers and worship. The Ark of the Covenant was also housed within this small complex. A lot could be said concerning this original tabernacle, but God evidently intended a facility to accommodate multiple functions.

Times have changed, customs have changed, and the way church services are performed has also changed. What has not changed in several thousand years is the importance of multipurpose facilities to perform religious and, in some cases, social, functions.

Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, Cleveland, Ohio

Any visitor to Jerusalem can see that all the aforementioned tabernacles and temples were destroyed by invading forces, regardless of how splendorous they may have been. Captivity and exile changed the way people would meet to perform their worship responsibilities. Immediately following the crucifixion of Christ, for example, people gathered in their homes because they felt isolated as a group from the inner sanctum of their temple, which was designed specifically for Jews and excluded Gentile believers who after the crucifixion became part of the church. However, because of their commitment to the principles of Christianity, these believers needed to continue performing their sacrament responsibilities to Christ. Thus, they worshiped partly in the temple courts and then did something very radical for its time: they turned their homes into places of worship and fellowship. This lasted throughout the early church era.

When churches finally broke from the confines of individual homes, it was because membership outgrew these limited spaces. Later in history, Christianity would come into favor with the government and officials would commission large, officious cathedrals and basilicas.

The 40,000-seat New Birth Convocation Center in Atlanta, Ga., is a complete arena for professional sporting events, but it also plays host to large-scale church functions.

Most early church designs were fashioned in part after the pattern of a basilica. The most famous is Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, which served the church for hundreds of years. Then in the 20th century, a dramatic shift from the traditional shape of the church began to take place. New and improved construction machines and materials became available, and concrete and steel opened the door for free expression for architectural designers while maintaining control of budgetary constraints. Although the end products and contemporary designs were completely different architecturally from their historic predecessors, their basic function and role remained the same. As in the past, they were houses designed for humanity to meet with deity.

Today, church architecture continues to be very fluid in terms of exterior facility design, but the actual auditorium--or meeting place--has evolved into four basic shapes: rectangle, square, circle and fan.

Rectangular. The standard rectangular auditorium places the platform and altar at one end of the facility. In reality, the rectangular meeting place is an evolution of the original cathedral or basilica design without the dome or the naves or, in some cases, the large, ornate columns. Since builders can use standardized materials, this shape is often the most economical and functional facility type.

New Albany United Methodist, New Albany, Ohio

However, the rectangular space offers limited seating capacity, making it most suited to small churches. In theory, the length of the rectangle may be as long as there is space to build it, but the rectangular structure's width is also subject to limitation. Generally, expanding this width requires intermediate column placement, an addition that becomes very restrictive to the viewing audience. The greatest limiting factor of the rectangular facility, however, revolves around natural acoustics. The long, narrow design makes it more difficult for the speaker to effectively communicate his message to those in every pew.

Square. In my experience, the square meeting space is selected most often among large church clients with whom I've worked. For one thing, the square shape has the capacity to solve most construction and communication problems. For example, the platform can be placed either at the center of one wall or even in one corner to pull people in. This concentrates them into one area while maintaining the most effective communication from the platform.

Using the structural components of a square--or even rectangular--structural system dramatically reduces overall construction costs because it adapts the simplicity of a structural box in which all components are standardized and replicated. When components are standardized, all structural systems are simplified. For example, custom fitting everything from steel studs to drywall becomes unnecessary, driving labor costs down exponentially.

Another very important factor for selecting a structural system is the choice of heating and ventilation systems. If the HVAC systems can be placed on the roof, installation costs are driven down. For example, duct runs are usually restricted to how far they can be extended and still be effective. Refrigerant piping using Freon is also restricted without the aid of special booster pumps.

Circular. While circular auditoriums are often used in dome construction, they have also been designed into square buildings. Depending on the designer, the platform can be placed anywhere near the outer perimeter of the dome and seats may be fanned, as seen in square auditoriums. However, a few churches with circular auditoriums have opted to place the platform in the center of the space with a circular seating pattern rotating around it.

Though dome construction can in certain cases accommodate limited budgetary constraints, congregations might end up struggling to get permits from local building authorities without architecturally dressing up the outside of the dome. Unfortunately, this complication usually destroys the budgetary advantages of using a dome in the first place.

Having to use special HVAC systems may also increase overall building costs for round auditoriums. The need to create point loading (which accommodates the special equipment necessary for suspending "angels" in Christmas and Easter pageants) can also drive construction costs up dramatically.

Fan-shaped. Although the fan-shaped seating arrangement is often seen in square auditoriums, it should be noted that this design is at an advantage when the actual structure is fan-shaped as well. The fan is a shape that accommodates large crowds while keeping them close to the platform.

Christian Life Center, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Construction of a fan-shaped facility can be very expensive, however, since it may need to be built of steel or large, laminated timbers. Each steel girder or beam used must be a different length, which does not afford the economy of standardization seen in other structure shapes. And any time beams of differing lengths are used, the result is a higher cost per square foot.

When designing a church, the auditorium's shape will depend on intended use, as defined clearly and succinctly by individual ministries. This includes all activities--worship, recreational, theatrical productions and many more. Then, this list must be balanced against the budget of the church. When there are not enough funds to build separate spaces to accommodate all of these needs, then the design must be a multipurpose one.

Most building committees are not cognizant of the fact that structural and mechanical systems add the most cost to a building project. Cosmetic elements--carpeting, wall coverings, finish trim, selection of 6-panel or slab doors and so on--typically do not impact overall cost by more that 3 percent to 5 percent. In contrast, choosing a chiller HVAC mechanical system instead of an HVAC package system alone could drive up the overall construction figure by 12 percent to 15 percent.

Take the time to program your needs. In the preliminary stage, create an interactive 3-D video walkthrough of the facility that provides enough detail to aid decision-making by the building committee. Pre-construction research will be the largest determining factor in building the right space for your ministry. It also either limits or accelerates your ability to maintain the construction budget as set forth by the financial committee.

Ray Robinson is president of American Church Builders and serves as Senior Pastor of Christ Community Church, both in Westerville, Ohio.