Church of Christ the King; Guilderland, New York
The primary goal of this major addition was to create a worship space that met the liturgical and social needs of the parish community while acknowledging the architectural heritage of the Catholic Church. A key part of the solution was the incorporation of artifacts from closed churches in the diocese, including eleven Chartres-style stained glass windows, resulting in a building that makes no attempt to mimic the style of any particular period of architecture, but is based on principles ranging from those of the early Christian churches to elements of Gothic design.
A large Gathering Space, designed as a "piazza" with glass walls and a hearth, gathers parishioners from the parking lots on either side of the building for interaction before and after services. All worshippers must pass through the Baptistry on their way into the Worship Space so that they can encounter the baptismal waters and be reminded of their entry into the church through baptism. Carefully controlled lighting creates a museum-like space, ideal for prayer and meditation.
Inside the Worship Space, the salvaged stained glass windows turn eleven of the corners of the sixteen-sided building, framed by glu- lam arches. Perimeter columns create an ambulatory around the radial seating pattern, where the farthest pew is ten feet closer to the altar than it had been in the old church. Natural light was intentionally excluded from this space to maximize the beauty of the deep colors of the stained glass windows and to allow the liturgical focus to be emphasized through the use of electric light. The lighting system allows the users to easily change the mood of the room from a place for private devotions to a place for communal worship.
For more information about this parish, click here. To read more information about this project, see these publications (article 1 and article 2)
Project Showcase
(click image to enlarge)
