Church Design (Concept Only - Not Real)

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Double tower front facade which gives a modern westwerk feel with center doors with a modern gothic feel. Single nave flanked by a collonade separated into continuous roman arches, simple pipe design with a transept. It looks like a church! It has some issues that should be addressed that come up in these pipe designs.

If you are going to have a transept have it across to create a crossing. There’s no confessional areas so they would have to be set up inside the collonade along with other places for worship which tends to create crowding. I can’t tell if those are chapels or sacristy/Vestry. I would consider adding a narthex completely enclosed and separate upon entering the facade and before entering the nave. From this narthex you can run off bathrooms, viewing areas, devotionals, counseling rooms, a store room, a work room, bridal rooms etc. I also don’t see where you plan to have adoration or where you tabernacle will be. Let’s not forget a choir area!

I personally like having a place separate from the sanctuary where there is a baptismal font and tabernacle can be, and if you don’t design that it will be crowded into your collonade by the users.

I assume you will have a separate building for your social hall, gardening, administration, rectory, and faith formation.
 
You may want to look at this link for more ideas. I go to Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. It is somewhat similar to what you have. You took yours in a different direction, but they are sort of similar.
youtube.com/watch?v=jgQgzuxqriA
 
It just occurred to me that anyone sitting in the transept isn’t going to be able to see the altar…

How important would you all consider it that the altar actually be visible to everyone in the church? I can adjust the design or (some of you will shake your heads) add large video screens in the transept to show the altar…or simply leave it as it is…

But I need some advice here, There’s already going to be a fairly considerable redesign in order to accommodate the chapel, etc. - so either way, its not going to make much of a difference.
 
mburn16 said:
It just occurred to me that anyone sitting in the transept isn’t going to be able to see the altar…

How important would you all consider it that the altar actually be visible to everyone in the church? I can adjust the design or (some of you will shake your heads) add large video screens in the transept to show the altar…or simply leave it as it is…

But I need some advice here, There’s already going to be a fairly considerable redesign in order to accommodate the chapel, etc. - so either way, its not going to make much of a difference.
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I think that it is very important that they can at least see the altar.
 
I think Bishops should consult the CA forums before building a Cathedral. That way there will be no more 70s architecture, with chapels looking like space ships.
 
mburn16 said:
It just occurred to me that anyone sitting in the transept isn’t going to be able to see the altar…

How important would you all consider it that the altar actually be visible to everyone in the church? I can adjust the design or (some of you will shake your heads) add large video screens in the transept to show the altar…or simply leave it as it is…

But I need some advice here, There’s already going to be a fairly considerable redesign in order to accommodate the chapel, etc. - so either way, its not going to make much of a difference.
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I’d say those seats probably have to go. They just simply don’t work, unless you’d turn them into their own little chapel or even better, take out all the pews, and and add cabinets. Make it the sacristy. 😃
 
The Altar:

http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/38/altarp.jpg

This is the low, free-standing Altar…although the High Altar will be designed to a very similar style. I decided to go for a wood, rather than stone, construction so that I could match it with the other furniture that will be going in.

High Altar should be designed by Friday…keep the comments coming!
 
mburn16 said:
The Altar:

http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/38/altarp.jpg

This is the low, free-standing Altar…although the High Altar will be designed to a very similar style. I decided to go for a wood, rather than stone, construction so that I could match it with the other furniture that will be going in.

High Altar should be designed by Friday…keep the comments coming!
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Consider placing the high altar upon a raised platform, made of steps. This way, the view of EF masses and ad orientem OF masses would not be obstructed. Also, you can kill two birds with one stone and place the tabernacle in the high altar as well. This will afford a wondrously fantastic design opportunity for a beautiful reredos, too. So basically the high altar will serve three purposes. Altar, tabernacle, and reredos that functions as such for both the high and low altars.

I wouldn’t put too much distance between the high and low altars, laterally that is. It will look better that way and will make a better connection that, “This reredos is a reredos for the low altar as well as the high altar,” even though the reredos is only physically connected to the high altar. Does this make sense?

Also, if you decide to have carvings in the high altar, thus the reredos, you could put similar carvings on the low altar. I think the end product would be absolutely beautiful.
 
YoungTradCath said:
That is beautiful. Really, excellent design. The * suggestion I have, though, is to perhaps shrink the sanctuary back a little, a third or more.

😃

PS: Please use an altar rail in the final design!*

I really like this new design!

No, do not cut down the sanctuary, as right now the place has a perfect cruciform.

ICXC NIKA
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GEddie said:
I really like this new design!

No, do not cut down the sanctuary, as right now the place has a perfect cruciform.

ICXC NIKA
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Cutting down the sanctuary won’t change the structure of the building at all. The sanctuary is the bit of raised flooring in the center of the transept. What I mean by cutting down the sanctuary is to retract that bit of raised flooring to make it closer to the wall. It doesn’t change the shape of the building at all.
 
well, I’m at something of a roadblock…at least in regards to the high altar. I know there were a couple here who said they would think about making their own contributions, so I’m opening this project up to help. Anyone who wants to assist with the design of the high altar - either by modeling in sketchup (if there are any other users), or by drawing something out that I can model, please feel free to contribute.

The only thing I ask is that it follow a similar design to the low altar I’ve already modeled.

Thanks in advance!
 
mburn16 said:
Down into the more difficult part of it now - designing the windows, roof, and furnishings. The seating layout is in (first image), and I’ve designed the chandeliers (from scratch - second photo):

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/8803/topviewk.png

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/1411/chandelier.jpg

Thinking of putting the baptistery in the area indicated in red, I’d like some feedback on this. Also debating whether I should make the choir loft stepped/sloped downwards, or level.
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I would move the Baptistery to the rear of the nave.
 
mburn16 said:
well, I’m at something of a roadblock…at least in regards to the high altar. I know there were a couple here who said they would think about making their own contributions, so I’m opening this project up to help. Anyone who wants to assist with the design of the high altar - either by modeling in sketchup (if there are any other users), or by drawing something out that I can model, please feel free to contribute.

The only thing I ask is that it follow a similar design to the low altar I’ve already modeled.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Not that this matters, but I personally don’t like the idea of a Church having both a “low” and “high” altar in the main sanctaury. I think it sets up a sort of battle between the “Ordinary form” altar and the “extraordinary form” altar. There ought to be one main altar which is the focus of attention. I would use that altar which you have designed as a free-standing altar, leaving enough room for on either side for celebrations facing the people and ad orientem. Then instead of a “high altar” against the rear wall of the sanctuary you could include a reredos or some other feature to house the the tabernacle.

I have no idea how large this Church is supposed to be, but if there is ample ceiling room perhaps you could consider using a free-standing altar with a baldacchino.
 
PrayForMeStJude said:
Not that this matters, but I personally don’t like the idea of a Church having both a “low” and “high” altar in the main sanctaury. I think it sets up a sort of battle between the “Ordinary form” altar and the “extraordinary form” altar. There ought to be one main altar which is the focus of attention. I would use that altar which you have designed as a free-standing altar, leaving enough room for on either side for celebrations facing the people and ad orientem. Then instead of a “high altar” against the rear wall of the sanctuary you could include a reredos or some other feature to house the the tabernacle.

I have no idea how large this Church is supposed to be, but if there is ample ceiling room perhaps you could consider using a free-standing altar with a baldacchino.
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How does having two altars create any more division than is already there by having two separate liturgies? I don’t want to be confrontational, but still. I doubt the EF’ers are going to say, “SEE, my altar is prettier than yours!”
 
PrayForMeStJude said:
Here’s what I thought of after you posted your first version and I thought of how to place a baptistery. I didn’t know how large this was, so I pretended it was big cathedral-side

Hope I’m not stepping on your toes.

http://forum.catholic.com/picture.php?albumid=1666&pictureid=11318

The yellow area would represent the colonnade, the blue area would be the adoration / daily mass chapel. The red areas would be the sacristy / mechanical / storage. And the baptistery is near the front.

The way I did this is influenced by the arrangement of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. and the Westminster Cathedral in London.
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Almost 50% of the floor space is wasted…
 
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