Successful projects come about through thoughtful engagement with a church's community, celebration of constraints, oftentimes, and long-term vision. Designer Sharon Exley of Chicago's Architecture is Fun recently spoke with architect Timothy Hawk, FAIA, about his firm's recent church project, Holy Trinity Lutheran in Upper Arlington, Ohio, for this report.
Holy Trinity Lutheran rests in a neighborhood setting, an original bedroom community a few miles northwest of downtown Columbus. Upper Arlington was developed as a residential community and all other uses were prohibited by zoning, including mercantile, business, and religious uses. Holy Trinity was the first church to be constructed in the town in 1959. The congregation had to appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court to earn the right to build its original structure, and they had to agree to a few deed restrictions, including a low eave height to reduce the potential volume of the church.Hawk notes that the new sanctuary is a premier venue for musical performances and attracts visitors from around the metropolitan area for its superb acoustical qualities.
All images: © Brad Feinknopf, Feinknopf Photography
Timothy Hawk, FAIA, notes that the church now serves as a premier venue for musical performances and attracts visitors from around the metropolitan area for its superb acoustical qualities.
Sixty years on from the original building’s foundation, Hawk and his Columbus-based firm, WSA, have developed new sacred and public spaces that are having a profound effect on the congregation, keeping their spiritual home both relevant and accessible.
New thinking and fresh updates
The project expands the existing church with a new, flexible sanctuary, new entries, and a large centralized narthex. Existing administrative areas were updated and the original sanctuary was renovated to function as a fellowship hall and an exercise area for the in-house children’s day care program. The addition made it possible to offer a variety of worship configurations which support progressive Lutheran liturgy through quick reconfiguration of the seating, the chancel risers, and musical equipment. Hawk notes that the new sanctuary is a premier venue for musical performances and attracts visitors from around the metropolitan area for its superb acoustical qualities. Membership has grown significantly, especially among families seeking a contemporary Lutheran experience, according to the church. While the outcome of solid design and foresight are simple, Hawk says, they bring measurable value and relevance to Holy Trinity Lutheran as a 21st century locale.
Design process
The WSA team was careful to convene all stakeholders and invest them in a design that was for the community, and by the community. The design process was coordinated by a committee, which included church leaders, staff, youth, an attorney, an engineer, a real estate agent, a developer, a professor, and several members of the local neighborhood, with everyone's engagement critical to the final design. "They shaped the integration of the addition and pushed the congregation to invest in high quality, durable building materials and extraordinary design features," Hawk shares. Without their support, he is certain the quality of the design would have been limited.
Hawk stresses the importance of establishing an engaging, immersive process with a consistent group to plan the church from the beginning.
What are Hawk's recommendations and suggestions to ensure successful outcomes in projects like this, from both the perspective of the architect and from the viewpoint of the congregation? He stresses the importance of establishing an engaging, immersive process with a consistent group to plan the church from the beginning. Consistent engagement of the same group builds trust, understanding, and consensus. This, in turn, helps the design team and the committee to collaboratively advance and elevate the design. The journey must begin with a rigorous exploration of the long-range master plan for the facility. When combined with the evaluation of existing conditions, the priorities will become clear and establish a framework for the design.
For Holy Trinity Lutheran, this all-inclusive application of resources, the solicitation of congregation expertise and neighbor voices, and the deliberate investment on behalf of future generations has resulted in a vibrant and growing hub for the congregation, as well as a replicable lesson on the power of design for the greater good.
