Design Directives
Expert interpretations of 21st century church building
By Ray Robinson, VP Sales & Marketing JCDM 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.
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