Photos courtesy of Rardin & Carroll Architects; this image by Emily Lester Photography
With the hybrid model reshaping office environments everywhere, churches are exploring how to create administrative spaces that best serve how they work.
Ravi Waldon, AIA, LEED AP, principal and faith-based sector leader at Michael Graves Architecture & Design (formerly Waldon Studio Architects), headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, notes that even prior to the Covid crisis, office design was in transition. But as with everything, the pandemic produced, “an acceleration of what was already happening,” he says.
Here are five key trends that architects and designers have identified in church office spaces …
1-Flexibility is a must
Like secular organizations, churches require several different types of spaces to accommodate collaboration as well as privacy. Amy Findley, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, associate at Michael Graves, notes that in general, collaborative spaces feature different types of seating such as high-top tables and lounge areas where colleagues may gather for a quick session.
Morgan Nowland
Part lounge, part collaboration space ... open areas are often lined or surrounded by private offices ...
At Rardin & Carroll Architects in Chattanooga, Tennessee, designers have been creating what they call “admin commons,” explains Heather Klapp, IIDA, associate partner. Part lounge, part collaboration space, these open areas are often lined or surrounded by private offices, and feature a kitchenette, couch, comfortable chairs, a coffee table, and maybe even a throw rug. These spaces may also include a conference table and seating, as well as whiteboard or video display, camera, and audio system to support videoconferencing. “A lot of times [churches] like having that living room feel, but also the technology incorporated for Zoom [and other platforms],” she says. “It’s almost two types of spaces in one: a living room space, and then a mini-conference area as opposed to a traditional conference room or boardroom.”
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"... having large collaborative tables and work tables in every kind of format, level or height—on casters and movable—is huge.”
Helen Lanes, CHID, IIDA, LEED AP, Principal, Interior Design Practice Leader, Michael Graves Architecture & Design, Princeton, NJ
Helen Lanes, CHID, IIDA, LEED AP, principal and interior design practice leader at Michael Graves, notes that the hybrid work model has prioritized the need for flexibility. “People love options and choices,” she says. Hoteling, she notes, is an example of this: she cites one project where each employee is assigned a private pedestal file on casters, giving them the ability to settle in to their work station of choice—rolling up with everything they need—on days when they’re at the office.
“We realize that communication, face-to-face, has been missed, and people are loving it,” Lanes says. “So having large collaborative tables and work tables in every kind of format, level or height—on casters and movable—is huge.”
And then there are those churches that are encouraging remote work, according to Andrew Beyea, AIA, director of design at Michael Graves. “I think remote work and mobile work has been completely normalized in churches these days, to the point where churches are becoming less enthusiastic about spending money on dedicated office space now that people can work from anywhere—whether it’s a corner of their lobby, an unused classroom, a coffee shop down the street, or from home,” he says.
2-Private offices are mini broadcast studios
Due to the confidential nature of some exchanges, senior-level staff—especially ministers—still require private office spaces in which they may conduct sensitive conversations. While this has always called for adequate sound isolation so that those in neighboring spaces aren’t privy to what’s being said, the hybrid work model now mandates the ability to receive parishioners either in person or virtually. Steve Carroll, AIA, founding partner of Rardin & Carroll Architects, likens these offices to “little studios” with the proper lighting, audio, and video equipment for virtual calls. In addition to this technology, window systems require attention: “Being able to close your shades and have a darkened room so that you can do video without the glare becomes very important,” he says. He adds that there is also a need to isolate sound from the surrounding spaces, so that ambient noise doesn’t seep into the private office space.
“Being able to close your shades and have a darkened room so that you can do video without the glare becomes very important."
Steve Carroll, AIA, Founding Partner, Rardin & Carroll Architects, Chattanooga, TN
3-Hygiene concerns influence materials and finishes
With the pandemic highlighting the need for clean hands, clean air—and cleanliness in general—churches are requiring surfaces that are easy to wipe down, Carroll says. He also notes that his firm has made it a standard to include UV filters in mechanical systems, and points out that hands-free faucets and toilets in restrooms adjacent to church office spaces are increasingly popular.
Morgan Nowland
“All of these things got incorporated into office design as the overall standard of building design—we were already heading that way from a code standpoint—but the pandemic has accelerated this,” Carroll says.
4-Color palettes make for a calming environment
Neutral, muted backdrops—such as gray—remain standard, with furniture, paint accents, floor accents, and even acoustical clouds providing color highlights, Findley says.
Wise color choices also enable designers to create office space that doesn’t feel corporate or institutional. For example, Klapp encourages her church clients to incorporate soft colors into their offices—such as blues and greens—that add a touch of tranquility. “Colors that people would find calming in their homes, I think they also like to see in an office space,” she said. “Still muted overall, but not too bland is the balance that we try to find so that when people are working, they feel calm.”
5-Biophilic elements create a sense of well-being
Creating a connection between interior spaces and the outdoors has been an ongoing trend over the last number of years. However—arguably because many people feel confined after two years of lockdowns—designers are seeing an increased desire to integrate biophilic elements into office spaces.
Beyea believes that this is also related to many organizations’ desire to offer a more casual, comfortable work environment. “And so bringing in natural light, embracing the windows that we do have available to us—or making sure that we are designing in lots of windows—and bringing in plant life build a more healthy-feeling work environment,” he says.
“People have gotten so used to the fact that if you want to take a break from your home office desk, you just walk five feet and you’re outside, enjoying nature."
Helen Lanes, CHID, IIDA, LEED AP, Principal, Interior Design Practice Leader, Michael Graves Architecture & Design, Princeton, NJ
This also contributes to motivating people to come back to the office, Lanes points out. “People have gotten so used to the fact that if you want to take a break from your home office desk, you just walk five feet and you’re outside, enjoying nature,” she illustrates. “How can you encourage people to leave that and come back into the office? We have to find other ways to incentivize that. With biophilia, we can have that connection and that level of comfort as we are [in the office] during the workday.”
