Interfaith Design

A Christian congregation in the midst of considering a new home in Atlanta wants to know if there are great examples of church architecture in that city that they might look to for inspiration...any suggestions?

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Michael Crosbie FAIA
Editor-in-Chief
Faith & Form
Essex CT
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I went there once as a kid, the congregation faces a wall of glass that opens to a glade and trees. The worship hall is lively, mostly hard surfaces of wood flooring and seating. But I found the simplicity of the space moving. However, it may not fit the "Produced" experience of modern worship.

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Peter Newton Assoc. AIA, CSBA, PMP
Phoenix AZ
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This is a difficult question to answer. I am interested in a car. Can you send me pictures for inspiration? The look and feel of a church facility is highly personal to the mission and vision of the church body it serves. If I were asked that question, I would want to know the "heartbeat" or values most important to the congregation. Some are put off by traditional design, to others it is inspiring.

There are plentiful examples in the Atlanta metro area of excellence in church design. My personal preference is for contemporary interpretations of mass and the control of light with color and texture. So my recommendations will lean that way.

On the contemporary side, I am familliar with Free Chapel there (freechapel.org). Free Chapel has campuses in Gainsville and Gwinnett.

A firm called CDH Partners is a quite prolific Church designer there. Some of their portfolio works might be interesting for your client:
http://www.cdhpartners.com/projects/religious/worship-centers

Enjoy!

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Gordon Rogers AIA
EAS Department Executive
Kitchell CEM, Inc.
Sacramento CA
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