Church has left the building. A study of contemporary church architecture reconsidered community facilities.

Abstract

4 ABSTRACT The aim of this thesis is to develop a contemporary model of church architecture by understanding the true essence of Christianity. It seeks to regain the original purpose and meaning of the “church” and the image of churches in the Apostolic Age which were closely engaged with the local community. The context of this study is the widespread destruction of church buildings in the Canterbury earthquakes, which has prompted a re-evaluation and re-planning of church buildings and organizations. The research attempts to draw on the original spirit of churches found in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, while also adopting different contemporary architectural solutions that seem to exhibit the same quality and spirit of openness and togetherness. As Christianity flourished, the way of making church buildings transformed over time: from the first congregations which did not own the buildings, to the elaborate of grand church architecture of medieval Europe. These building forms became secularized and institutionalized, making the boundary of the church community more clearly defined. These heavy and tall buildings allowed the development of internally-focused congregations, and the separation of the church community and the public realm became more apparent through history and continues today. This runs counter to the root tradition of intimate engagement with and outreach towards the public and the local community. This project studies the internally-focused church types in order to propose a building that is boundary-less and transparent. The aim is to arouse public attention and curiosity to help people to orient themselves, and to draw attention to relationships between God and people; the presence of the building becomes minimal and almost disappears, but the relationships remain. In another words, it is to revert back to the initial model of a church building, which was a shelter that offered space for ministry, but which placed no emphasis on building itself. This proposition draws attention to the function of the church and looks to preserve this tradition of simplicity, openness and approachability. In the city of Christchurch after the tragic earthquake, such an architectural language offers, a chance to re-think church buildings within the public realm; without these links and intimacy the church will lose its value.