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Harding Partners
Chicago, Illinois
The New Faith Baptist Church wanted a building that would enhance
every member's capacity to worship in a number of ministries for
this predominantly African American congregation. Whether in group
worship, small groups, music, performance, hospitality, or
community service, every person should be able to find a means of
worship in which they can thrive. The building also needed to
express the outward focus of the church delivered by the numerous
outreach ministries. The open building form that emerged brought
together the varied types of worship into one shared
experience.
To enhance the worship experience the design provides functional,
spatially rich, and uplifting spaces that engage the senses and the
spirit. The 2,300-seat fan-shaped sanctuary focuses on the platform
and choir while allowing everyone to see the faces of fellow
congregants. The flexible platform adapts to the needs of a given
service allowing oration, musical performance, and theatrical
presentations. The coffered ceiling, faceted walls, absorptive
materials, and engineered sound system all contribute to natural
sounding acoustics for both music and the spoken word. The multiple
forms of worship allow individuals to find the one that speaks to
them the most clearly. Services can be digitally captured and
distributed through the audio-video studio integrating the larger
community into the communal worship experience.
Sidewalks radiate from the center of New Faith Baptist Church
International
Image courtesy of Harding
Partners
The function of the worship space extends beyond the technical
requirements. The building creates an ethereal experience that
elevates the quality of place from the ordinary to the spiritual.
The narthex is filled with light diffused through the sunscreen and
skylight above. In the sanctuary, a continuous skylight fills the
space with daylight diffused through the coffered ceiling. In both
cases, the light becomes a dynamic element changing in color and
quality throughout the day, and the seasons, making a tangible
connection to the environment. Material selections bring a range of
textures into the space activating the sense of touch. The natural
sounding acoustics of the sanctuary reinforce the connection
between the congregation and the message across multiple types of
media. The result is an immersion experience of sight, sound, and
touch that builds a spiritual intensity by engaging multiple senses
in the act of worship.
The outward focus of the congregation is expressed through the
public face of the building. The church presents an open facade to
the adjacent interstate highway announcing the presence of a
Christian community to the entire region. Radiating from the
building are broad walkways that engage the site and lead the eye
to the building entrances. The combination of hardscape and
softscape of the walkways reduce the large scale of the site to a
comfortable human dimension. The curved public façade is
screened with a sunshade that changes profile in response to the
changing solar orientation. The sunscreen permits the two-story
narthex beyond to have full height glazing, making a direct
connection into the building. The shelter of the entry canopy
provides a human dimension for people to interact as they enter the
building or wait to be picked up. Once inside the narthex the
public functions of the church such as the bookstore, greeting
center, and meeting rooms are arrayed to welcome newcomers. Casual
seating areas make the narthex a place of rest giving the
opportunity for fellowship that comes with a slower pace. The
project is currently being bid and is scheduled to start
construction in the spring.
Diffused light permeates the lobby of New Faith Baptist Church
International
Image courtesy of Harding
Partners
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