Getting the most from the smaller spaces in your church
By Steve Siebert
There was a time when churches could acquire existing buildings or land for low prices and renovate them at a fraction of today’s costs. Today, however, the cost per square foot for both acquisition and renovation has increased significantly, making it more challenging for churches to expand or maintain their facilities.
This trend has led many churches to focus on maximizing the use of their available space through innovative architectural designs, multi-functional designs, and flexible layouts.
These spaces can adapt to various activities, from meetings and small groups to social gatherings and workshops without requiring significant structural changes.
One of the creative ways we have been able to reduce floor plan square footage in new builds and in repurposing older buildings for church use is by incorporating what we call the “Google-style office.” Instead of giving each person a 150– or 175-square foot office with a door on it, we are reducing the size of dedicated workspaces — and even eliminating them altogether.
Instead, we are creating a large, open work area with comfortable lounge furniture, high top tables, leather sofas and couches. This allows people to work at a higher density because it effectively reduces the overall square footage required. When you are looking at $300 to $400 per square foot, that can result in impressive cost savings, as well.
There are social and cultural benefits, too
It used to be that church staff — who are people-oriented by nature — used to gather at the water cooler or in one another’s offices when they were assigned individual offices. Now, we are finding that they collaborate more, brainstorm more and create better, more innovative ideas, simply because they are working together in this new community-style open office environment.
The “open concept” has transitioned to church lobbies. Twenty years ago, lobbies were a tiny hallway that led from the church entry to the sanctuary or auditorium. Today, they are community-focused. There are coffee shops, as well as inviting community seating areas with tables and chairs. This encourages ministry to take place outside a traditional classroom or sanctuary.
At the same time, we are realistic. We know that there are still times when a private phone call or one-on-one interaction are needed. So, we found that a mini-conference room — consisting of an office with a table and a chair or two — is needed. That allows one person to make a private phone call. Or if a small group wants to collaborate without disturbing others in the large room, they can. While that does require an additional room, only one room is needed — and it can be scheduled and shared, so that it doesn’t become an issue.
By getting creative with the administrative offices in this Orlando, Fla. church, our team was able to use about 25 percent less space than would normally be required to accommodate the same number of staff.
Turning to design details …
We love the idea of using lofty ceilings to create a significant impact. Even in a smaller space, soaring ceilings make the space feel much larger than it is.
Painting high ceilings black gives them depth — and that makes them feel more voluminous as well. We also like to use lots of bright primary colors, such as royal blue and lemon yellow. The use of bold colors also gives the illusion that a space is bigger than it is.
Daylight also plays a key role in our designs. We like to incorporate glass in lobbies whenever possible. For example, if we can run glass end-to-end, front-to-back, or side-to-side on a building, we can eliminate a dark corridor or worse yet, a dark lobby. Strategic use of cross-light during the day not only brightens the space, but it also makes the space feel much larger than it is.
The use of daylight was important to another church project we designed in Florida. The lobby features a glass wall with two roll-up glass doors, facing west. The doors lead to a brick patio with Adirondack-style chairs and low coffee tables where people can sit and enjoy their coffee between services. For six months each year, the church can retract the doors and bring the outside in, with fresh air flowing into the church.
We have found that by removing the old corridor system from the ‘70s- and ‘80s-style churches, children’s classroom space can be reduced by as much as 30 percent. Best of all, it can be themed. It doesn’t have to be black and white and dark like the typical adult worship space. It can be bright and bold — and we can bring sunlight into these spaces. We like high windows and high-volume ceilings, because they make the space feel larger. Plus, kids are no longer distracted looking outside; they feel better with the natural sunlight, and they enjoy the big space. Moreover, they pay more attention to what’s going on inside the room.
Steve Siebert is Senior Principle at Steve Siebert Architecture. [https://stevesiebert.com]
