Moving Toward a Building Project
6 Things to Consider as you Move Toward a Building Project
Each church is unique and the worship center design should reflect the vision and personality of your ministry goals. Here are six essential aspects of the design concept that each worship team must consider to begin establishing the image of their church.
Have you ever found yourself squeezed into an old building or retail center busting at the seams, leading six worship services a weekend? Does your overflow seating extend out into the corridor and every other possible space? Does your facility on Sundays resemble more of a storm shelter than a Worship Center? If so, it may be time to start thinking about building a new facility. The idea of undertaking a design and construction project can be daunting. There is a lot to consider when planning a new space to house your Worship and we get that.
Each church is unique and the design of your worship facility should reflect the vision and personality of your ministry goals. Here are six essential aspects of the design concept that each Worship team must consider to begin establishing the image of their church.
Seat count determines everything.
Most of the area requirements throughout the building are sized proportionally based on seat count. The more seats in the Worship room, the larger the Entry Lobby, the larger the restrooms, the larger the children’s classroom space, and the larger the parking lot. Getting halfway through design and deciding to reduce or enlarge the seat count creates chaos for everyone.
Where do you want your people to sit?
Many of the newer Worship venues constructed today have a variety of seating types. From fixed theater seats on a sloped floor and stadium risers to portable stacking chairs on a flat floor, the number of each type and ratio in the room greatly contributes to the feel and intimacy of the space. The ratio of each also determines functional aspects related to flexibility of room, egress, and storage requirements. Be careful though… too much flat floor will make your members feel like they are in a convention hall. Too much stadiums seating and your congregation will feel like they are waiting for the Final Four to tip off.
How am I supposed to get up to all those lights?
Deciding how the worship team accesses theatrical lighting in the room, either by catwalk or by mechanical lift, determines the overall structural height of the space and effects sightlines and back-of-house access. It also greatly contributes to the architecture of the room. Once deciding on the inclusion of catwalks, you will need to consider how they impact the aesthetic. Many churches paint them black. Some cover them up with suspended ceiling elements. Others shine LED light on them, making the catwalks a design element in the space.
To Baptize or not to Baptize
The inclusion of a permanent baptistery effects many things associated with the platform design. The location of the baptistery effects platform access, sight lines required by the congregation and necessary back-of-house support spaces. A portable baptistery requires a storage room when not in use, and additional plumbing for filling and emptying.
Do I really need a platform this big?
The size of the platform is determined by two things, the types of uses on the platform and the proportion of the platform relative to the size of the seating area. The larger the seating area, the larger the platform should be in order to look correct in the room. Whether or not there is a choir or praise team, platform access during a service, and the desire to fly- scenery or projection screens all contribute to the size of the platform. Be warned, too large a platform will have your pastor feeling like he is alone at center court getting ready to sing the National Anthem.
U2 could play in here: Audio, Video, Lighting, and Acoustics
Beside seat count, the greatest contributor to the design of a Worship venue are the decisions related to technology and acoustics. The earlier in the process the technology and acoustic requirements can be determined, the smoother the design process will go. Things like natural acoustics vs. electronic acoustics, number, size and location of projection screens and camera positions, control booth size, video production control facilities, and recording needs must all be coordinated for a room to be able to house both your worship style and your favorite musical artist.
There are many things to consider when taking on a building project, but focusing in on a few key elements helps to make the process more manageable. We’re happy to help!
