Friends

This is a Church Structure originally posted at the SU forum last year. That project did not go ahead, yet a completely different religious organization ( a baptist congregation over a catholic parish) was taken by the proposal and insisted on having it built atop a small hill overlooking the new roadway access to the Municipality of Aguas Buenas ( "Good waters" in spanish ). The program calls for a main Sanctuary, seating 700, with ten (10) small classrooms, a major activities hall, offices and special rooms for toddlers and babies. Some 140 parking spaces are to be provided.

The project is fundamentally a large roof over two rectangular space, set slightly off axis to accentuate the entrance area that would act as a narthex.

This is currently under development, and as always, your comments are most welcome.

Saludos

Juan

Saludos

Site and structure

Another view

other views

The proposed main floor plan

Some elevations

Other elevations

Still another

Another

Yet another

Final elevation

The entrance ( x-ray view for show )

The altar ( very preliminary )

I dont mean to be harsh but I cant understand how your scheme fits into the landscape? Apart from the contoured model none of the images show any context for the surrounding area, if your scheme does address the landscape, which I am not it does we need to see it.

I think some long sections would be very useful indeed.

Apart from the contoured model none of the images show any context for the surrounding area, .

I think some long sections would be very useful indeed.

<could it be because it was originally proposed on a different site?
<but IMHO it sits just fine.

Even though there are no references to the landscape, I believe the implantation of the building in the terrain´s relief , is very well done. On the other hand, the composition of volumes is excellent from any place that is watched, is is very balanced, and the the access display is skillful.
Saludos, Juan carlos

I like the overall massing of the building. As it is now it needs some more work as well as the choice of materials.
From what I see it seems that it's implanted on the hilltop, so the site would be that one with barely any sorrounding buildings, but There might be existing trees or palm trees.
I think that some pedestrian views from the hillside and next to the building would help a lot for us to get the scale and dimension of the spaces and rooofs.
And now let me give you some modelling tips.
It's much easyer to model if you group different objects like the roof, walls or windows individually. Right now it looks like there's a lot of extra lines that clutter your drawing and might present you with faces that cannot be closed or other problems. If you group you won't have the problem that comes from the walls appear on the roof and you will be able to solve both in an easyer way.

I liked the volumes and composition, but agree I lack information regarding the site.

Could your project profit from landscape views? being in a hilltop?

If this is the case I would like the idea of the altar with a view behind it, (would help churchgoers from falling asleep;) !)

I like your presentation with the deep solid color skys, greyscale model - very nice Juan. I'll have to borrow that! I like the glass volume that the cross top rests in - I'd like to hear more about that. As well the freestyle pattern of the window frames in the side wall. Tell us about your inspiration there.

Good old Baptists! Quite a compliment to have them adopt your design. Could also be a problem for you if they won't allow it to developed to meet the new site.

My first reaction was that the building footprint looks large for the new site.
The design of the building is more developed than the site (which is perhaps natural when client "B" adopts a design originally made for client "A"). Where's the parking?

What's with the green sky? :eek:

I really like the volumetric composition, it´ll be a mark on the landscape. The internal space seems to work well, and the sunlight effect on the cross is promising.

Keep us informed of your progress, there´s a lot of work with the landscape, garden work, external space, access for pedestrian and vehicles, this should help making the building fit better in the site.

How has the change in denomination affected your design? Baptists and Catholics definitely have different views of worship... How did you go from one congregation to another of a different denomination ?

Also, can you clarify what each of the spaces are? It looks like one side of the worship space has another space beside it while on the other, it is a covered porch.

So far, I like what I see and I also would like to see some landscape views if you can share them...

Juan

I love this design and the way in which it in particular touches the ground. Well done and yet again you inspire us all to do better!

I have one small issue, the glass element that protrudes from the rear of the alter I find a little concerning from both an aesthetic view and a practical one. My concern is that the amount of light that may enter to the rear of the alter may over expose this area to the eye and those in the foreground may be somewhat in silhouette as the eye attempts to adjust.

My consideration toward this would be to roof that element and extend it upward with a return on the glass on all sides, this would allow penetration of light to the forward side of the alter also. Just a thought in an attempt to avoid my concern.

Here is roughly what I suggest.

Friends

Thank you all for looking it over. I appreciate your comments immensely.

Jazzythumper

I share your concern; the exercise you see was done mainly to verify the possibilities of the scheme within the 'new' site. Certain elements remain, the main structure is a rectangular space, separated to accommodate different uses, the easternmost is a covered porch, a garden so to say, open to the dawn, with tree filtered light. The westernmost space is a large Social Hall, including a kitchen, public washrooms, a staircase and an elevator together with some ten small meeting rooms in two levels going downwards.

kicks torlai and Juan Carlos

I'm flattered by your comments, I hope the project, when completed, lives up to the possibilities that you see in it now.

César

As always, you see through my limited modeling skills, and you care enough to help me through them. I'll take heed, and follow your suggestions. Thank you my friend.

Marcelo

As you see in Richard's comments, my concern is the creation of a silhouette, originally the large walls were proposed to serve as backgrounds to holy statuary, Baptists are iconoclasts, so I'm reinterpreting them as backdrops to changes in lighting and potential retractable projection screen locations.

Peter

True. The structure could be rather large; I'm considering shortening the length some thirty feet.

The parking spaces are to be placed towards the bottom of the illustration, the eastern part of the site.

The green sky comes up when you misalign a non-perspective view. I liked it enough to do it deliberately several times later on.

Greg

The glass enclosure is meant to be made up of thick tempered glass, with glass supports and separated from the wall to provide a small ventilation area around the bottom of it. I haven't thought out the uppermost panels' construction details yet, although I believe that having a pitch over 23 degrees it should be self-washing.

The lateral window patterns are aleatory, and meant to try to diminish the aspect ratios of the glazing panels 'imaginatively', as all glazing panels must be certified to resist the wind loads our hurricane prone island may face.

Richard

You always hit a mark; this is a concern I must address.

You always comment incisively upon my work as if it were ours, seeking to get the best out of each and every possibility, which is of course a very flattering and a generous gesture on your part that I both distinguish and value most highly. Thanks mate!

Saludos

Juan

Juan.. any update...

Perhaps some location views...

here it is, low res

Juan:

This is a very nice and consistent proposal, volumes are well solved. The project is consistent and good balanced, recreation to the eyes, I like it very much, good work, mi amigo. Congratulations :cheers:

Just one tecnical question: how do you will solve the huge amount of water that will be in the lower intersection of the roofs?

Un abrazo,

Sandro

Kudos to the arrangement of volumes and the massing. I love that the seperated and skewed masses create a space to become the entry. I would like to see more info on the entry though. Are there doors? Help me understand the progress from a car to the sanctuary. You have already begun to develop a series of volumes penetrated by a visitor...please explain some more. Thanks and nice work.

I liked de design, the volumetric form, the entrance, only the big cross in entrance do a discomfort in my eyes....

congratulations!!

Friends

Thank you all for your interest in this particular project, all of your comments are valuable and greatly appreciated.

Primo

Nothing escapes your watchful 'google' eye. Thank you.

Pedro

Our proposal was endorsed by the congregation and we are currently developing it, the site is being fine tuned as the amount of parking spaces requested is far more then that required by local regulatory agencies. We are exploring the development of parking terraces and the use of structural extensions to meet the congregations needs.

We are also developing the structural solution for the large roof, that basically is the main architectural design element. It is somewhat challenging, to say the least.

As soon as we have advanced floor plans, and a true section we will share them with you.

Sandro

You are always so very kind, thank you my friend.

The amount of water involved is truly very large, I wish to use part of it to feed a pool at the entrance, something somewhat tricky ( the image of drenched parishoners is very vivid) yet brimming with possibilities. As a baptist church, you give witness of your rebirth through the experience of baptism, or inmersion in water. It would be a lame excuse for a joke to justify this feature by saying that as baptists they shouldn't mind getting wet upon entering their church. In any case, we will explore this a bit more seriously further on.

Ryarch

The entrance is deliberately set as a lengthwise opening, with no true doors, we are currently considering a bronze finish roll up grille as a security enclosure. The pedestrian approach from the parking area will be that of ascending from below, the vehicular access shall be made precisely at entrance level.

Thank you all once again, we'll keep you posted.

Saludos

Juan

I liked de design, the volumetric form, the entrance, only the big cross in entrance do a discomfort in my eyes....

Hello

I love this project. And Victorio is right, there's no need of this cross : your design speaks by himself. Bravo, Juan.

Baptists are iconoclasts

Now, that's a bit of a generalisation isn't it? The Baptists are structured such that each church can have its own constitution and therefore their own community. Some are forward thinking, some are stuck in tradition. Anyway, enough of that...

I like your design - the massing and forms suit a modern day church quite well. Well done.

There is one issue that doesn't seem to have been raised yet, and that is the main auditorium space needs to be better sculpted than what it is. It appears to be a formless room that kind of leaks into the foyer. I think it would benefit from a careful molding of the space, and a clearer separation from the foyer.

Of course, these are only my thoughts.

Well done Juan! :cheers:

:bump: Juan I am looking forward to you sharing some more about this project

Hello!
This project really nice and garmonic to my view. I'm an arch. student, and my currently thesis is a Ortodox Church..., so I'm looking for anything useful stuff and info about church's, all help will be appreciated ?
Thx in advance...

dream_arch

Churches are congregations led by educated clergy in the effective application of a religious program. These include rituals that may or may not require some layperson participation. What should you do as you approach the problem of providing a space that will represent an important aspect of the core spiritual beliefs of other people? First, and above all be you must be respectful. Then you have to deal with the problem of the sacred, as it relates to space. This is a matter of recognizing and understanding symbols, and visualizing spaces as they relate to these symbols.

For example
Frank Lloyd Wright's Greek Orthodox Church in Milwaukee is saucer shaped, no axis, imagine no liturgical axis at all. Yet the ritual, performed by clergy is audible to all within this space, everything seems near, immediate, no matter how many people there may be. This phenomenon, a sort of whisper room, also made each layperson remain silent. The entire space is carpeted, and sounds other than that of the officiant are deadened. All light is filtered, and the exterior is not readily visible.

Compare with Thorncrown Chapel by Fay Jones. Here we have a strong lithurgical axis, a lofty almost ethereal space, with complete transparency, set amidst an incredible natural setting.

Both are remarkable religious buildings, both christian congregations yet totally different. Therefore the answer lies with the success of the designer in providing a meaningful and striking solution, one that is usable, effective yet distinctive and memorable.

No easy task. My best wishes

Saludos

Juan