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Current Trends in Religious and Liturgical Design


Religious design has a 2000 year history that continues to inform and direct the design of places for prayer and worship. While inspiration from historical precedent and the symbolic nature of religious faith should be referenced, contemporary religious design continues to evolve. Some trends in architecture and practice that we see occurring include:

Accessibility
As a consultant for liturgical space, Robert Habiger has advocated for many years that physical accommodation in all parts of the church is the moral responsibility of every congregation. He has advocated that every community embrace the concept of “equivalent experience” regarding physical and sacramental accessibility.

The August 2010 issue of St. Anthony Messenger, illustrates this concept in an article titled “Parishes Move From Accessible to Inclusive”.  Mr. Habiger is quoted extensively in this article. He claims that “equivalent experience’ means creating a similar experience, while maintaining a person’s dignity”.  An example of equivalent experience is when a low-sloped ramp is installed so that everyone (both able and disabled people) can use the same pathway to the sanctuary or chancel. When the same path is used by all ministers to access the church it diminishes the undignified feeling that occurs when a disabled person is required to use a different point of entry to reach the elevated platform level.  During the design process we ask; will the disabled person feel different if they are required to access the elevated platform from a different point of entry? Questions like this direct the design process when considering physical accessibility or sacramental inclusiveness.

For further information regarding accessibility in the religious environment see the archived webinar titled “Access to Liturgical Spaces: Welcoming ALL to the Place” at National Catholic Partnership on Disability.

This article at EnvisionChurch, written by Mr. Habiger, provides steps that a community of faith can utilize to achieve the goal of equivalent experience.

Daylight Design
Worship environments do not have to be clothed in darkness. In fact, in order to generate a full, conscious, and active participation by the congregation worship spaces are better if they have bright and uniform illuminated environments. The use of natural day-lighting in the design of worship spaces facilitates a greater sense of encounter because the face of the celebrant is visible and people in the assembly can be recognized. Natural day-lighting also makes the space sustainable.

Combining day-lighting control sensors that allow artificial lights to be dimmed or turned off accounts for significant energy savings for church facilities. At InformeDesign.org, http://www.informedesign.org/Default.aspx a website managed by the Department of Design, Housing and Apparel at the University of Minnesota, design professionals can access research-based information and use it in their design practice. There you can find a FREE Inquiry Course – IQ100 “Design Sustainably with Daylight”.

Sustainable Design
D/P/S is a leader in sustainable design practice. Here is a link to a few of our projects that have incorporated sustainable design principles:

Hospital Chapels
The secularization of society is apparent in the way hospitals are being designed today. A recent article by Jennifer Garza that appeared in the Sacramental Bee titled “Hospitals Rethinking Spiritual Spaces, Create Meditation Rooms” identifies projects where chapel spaces that are being designed for hospital patients, staff, or visitors are being built void of religious symbols and/or symbolism.

In her article, Ms. Garza states that hospital chapels are becoming “sanctuaries where families can pray for patients, space for prayer rugs and windows facing east, or a quiet area where doctors can pause for spiritual refreshing.” We have witnessed this trend as it has developed. An example is Presbyterian Hospitals’ new chapel currently under construction in Rio Rancho, NM.

This chapel retains its divine nature without the use of religious symbols. Two segregated spaces allow for either a planned group activity or for individual reflection. The glass window/door opening leads to a private meditation garden.

Worship and Technology
Anyone who has recently attended a church service can see technology has drastically increased in places of worship the past 10 years. All types of Church denominations are embracing the addition of technology and the opportunities it creates for their community.  It might be the addition of a new auditory system for the hearing impaired or a full blown AV system with large plasma screens, video monitors and video recording capabilities that rival a recording sound stage.  An article that was written by Robert Habiger on this subject is available at the EnvisionChurch website.

An excellent resource on the subject of using multimedia in worship is at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. An article titled “Digital Storytelling: Use multimedia in worship to enhance, not replace”, provides links to numerous sub-categories and resources on the subject.   In this article, Eileen Crowley discusses the use of media art to enhance the worship experience. Her book - Liturgical Art for a Media Culture, is also an excellent resource on the subject and advocates that design committees should keep people and liturgy, not technology as the starting point for all discussions about using technology in worship.

Environmental Psychology
The field of behavioral science is the study of how people interact with their environment. Also known as socio-architecture, architectural psychology or environmental-behavioral studies the primary relevance for architectural design is the research and application of behavioral science to the built environment. Architecture, Culture & Spirituality (ACS) is an association established to support architectural and interdisciplinary scholarship, research, practice, and education on the significance, experience and meaning of the built environment.

Robert Habiger is a member of ACS and was a presenter at the 1st Symposium in 2009 for the organization. His presentation was “Essential Ingredients of a Church Design Process”.

D/P/S embraces both empirical and qualitative research approaches of environmental psychology utilizing what is best for each client and/or project.