Image: LS3P Associates
Freedom House Church, Charlotte, NC
Every reputable church architect designs with IBC and ADA regulations in mind. But accessibility goes beyond providing things like safe environments and wheelchair access. Many churches place great importance on outreach activities––be they local, regional, or even on a national or global level––and creating a welcoming, accessible physical presence can contribute to making them a success.
“A lot of our projects are very open to allowing other groups to use their facilities when the church is not using them." Thomas Small, AIA/NCARB, Partner, SPACE, Edmond, OK
Image: LS3P
Brushy Creek Baptist Church, Taylors, SC
“A lot of our projects are very open to allowing other groups to use their facilities when the church is not using them,” says Thomas Small, AIA/NCARB, and partner at SPACE––Specialized Planning & Architecture for Church Environments LLC, based in Edmond, Okla. He notes that the firm has designed a number of large church lobbies that are well-suited to house Rotary Club and Kiwanis meetings, or other community events. “Most churches are open to that because they want the community to consider their facility accessible to everyone, and [they hope] that those who are not presently going to church would then be interested in attending. It’s seen, correctly in our view, as an open-door policy that draws more people to the church.”
“I still think the church [can be] the community’s living room." Nathan Daniel, AIA, LEED AP, Faith Practice Leader and Principal, LS3P Associates Ltd., Charleston, SC
“I still think the church [can be] the community’s living room, and I think the design piece plays such a strategic part in how the church may envision the storytelling of how they impact the local community,” says Nathan Daniel, AIA, LEED AP, faith practice leader and principal at LS3P Associates Ltd., an architectural firm based in Charleston, S.C. At LS3P, this discussion begins in the programming and master planning phases of a project, where both architect and client explore how spaces can be created for use by both church and community.
Community space access and control
These spaces range from outdoor areas designed for community athletic events, children’s theaters that host recitals and plays produced by local schools, and meeting rooms that can be used for both ministry and community programs. “In understanding the vision early in the process, we can design these spaces so the community can have ease of access, and that there’s controlled access to these spaces,” Daniel notes.
“Several churches are now exploring or implementing shared office workstations which can be rented to entrepreneurial business start-ups." Aubrey Garrison III, Founder, Architect and Principal, Live Design Group, Birmingham, AL
Churches are also drawing inspiration from co-working spaces, notes Aubrey Garrison III, founder, architect, and principal at Live Design Group in Birmingham, Ala. “Several churches are now exploring or implementing shared office workstations which can be rented to entrepreneurial business start-ups,” he explains. “These workstations can be located in public spaces during the week and moved to storage during church functions.” WiFi access is provided to these professionals, and oftentimes they are also given access to the church café. “One church also wanted to mix these rented workstations into the church staff environment to make it a ministering opportunity.”
Security, always
Security is at the forefront of church leaders’ minds, and again, controlling public access to the church is a consideration early on in the design process. “If [public access] is part of the program, then we provide security doors in areas where they want to make the facility open to the public, as well as access to public toilets, but not to office areas, or the children’s department, or those sorts of things,” Small explains. This isn’t a huge undertaking, he says, “we just make sure to learn this information during the programming phase so we can properly design it into the plan.”
Image: LS3P
Forest Hill Church, Waxhaw, NC
While it may not be intentional, there are facilities that appear unwelcoming to the public, and Daniel notes that this isn’t always in the church’s control. “Some of it is lead by the site that the church is positioned on,” he says. Expansive parking lots in front of the entrance, for example, can dissuade curious visitors who aren’t familiar with the church. “The older master plan model of putting the building in the back and having a sea of parking out front has somewhat gone away; I think that lead to a level of intimidation where it didn’t feel inviting––because you experience the site as soon as you turn in, of what the church culture is going to be, and if all you see is parking I think it forecasts this vision of unfriendliness.” Street-facing, intentional program pieces in front of the church, such as benches, or even children’s playground equipment, send a more welcoming message. “The activity starts at the street and pulls you to the building,” Daniel adds.
Expansive parking lots in front of the entrance ... can dissuade curious visitors who aren’t familiar with the church.
Daniel also notes that multiple entrances can also seem unwelcoming––or, at the very least, annoying. “I think when you get confused with where you’re supposed to go when there’s multiple entries, or there’s a kid’s wing, a youth wing, and an adult wing––if you get lost in all that, the experience kind of faults,” he says. In a way, it becomes what many of us experience when we’re entering a busy local shopping center: “You don’t know where to go, the frustration builds, and that’s not what we’re trying to create.”
First sight
“It would be an obvious advantage if the church could be seen clearly by the community as they conduct their daily routines. If they can see positive activity, an attractive environment, and [an] inviting facility, it adds to the initial impression of the church,” Garrison acknowledges. However, he, too, notes that this is dependent on the site––and not all churches have access to sites that provide these options. “[We] have seen successful churches constructed on large sites where you cannot see the building. Then the street signage, entrance, drive to the church, and landscaping can contribute to a positive impression.”
Image: LS3P
Brushy Creek Baptist Church, Taylors, SC
In creating accessible designs, Daniel aims to transform churches into “seven day a week” facilities that truly reach the community. He notes the trend whereby third-party coffee shops that operate within the church’s walls offer locals another option to pick up breakfast, or pop in for a chat with a friend. It also lifts the burden of running a café off of the church: “The church doesn’t have to get overwhelmed with what they’re providing, and it becomes an amenity for the community––it draws people back to the church, which I think is a great thing to see in some of these communities.” This, however, requires churches to be located in a convenient area, and for that region to be relatively populated.
... campuses located on sprawling patches of land can be transformed into parks, or even hiking trails.
But even churches in more rural settings can feature design elements that attract new visitors, or provide a retreat for existing members. He notes that campuses located on sprawling patches of land can be transformed into parks, or even hiking trails. “It’s not as urban, but it’s a park-like setting where people can come during the week and not just let it be a single Sunday experience,” he says. “It’s creating an overall experience outside of just the teaching and worship, which broadens the reach of what these churches are doing in the community.”
"I personally believe a church can spend too much money on a new church facility, which can be a turn-off to various members of the community. The facility is a ministry tool." Aubrey Garrison III, Founder, Architect and Principal, Live Design Group, Birmingham, AL
Regardless of what elements churches select to invite the community in, Garrison argues that they don’t have to be extravagant. “This could seem strange, but I personally believe a church can spend too much money on a new church facility, which can be a turn-off to various members of the community,” he says “The facility is a ministry tool. It needs to have many of [these] attributes, [but] this can be done in an economical way that is done with excellence and is warm, friendly and inviting.”
LIVE Design Group
LS3P Associates Ltd.
SPACE––Specialized Planning & Architecture for Church Environments, LLC
