All images: roehner + ryan photographers
It has been said, “Prayer is bringing our helplessness to God.”
For thousands of years spaces and places have been specifically designed to foster one's intimate communication with God. Redemption Church in Gilbert, Ariz., challenged Debartolo Architects of Phoenix to design such a place in one of its existing buildings designed nearly 10 years ago.
Constructed completely from Douglas Fir, the church's transformative prayer space, completed in 2018, is set apart from the rest of the campus.
Following are the seven strategies Debartolo Architects employed in making Redemption Church's timeless space, reports Jack DeBartolo III, FAIA.
1-Tactility
One’s senses are awakened to a unique experience through close contact with one material [that makes up] the floor, walls and ceiling.
2-Ordinariness
The space is completely crafted from common Douglas fir members, where an ordinary material is made into something extraordinary through its craft and arrangement.
3-Humility
[Humility is demonstrated] where the hand-made quality of the space speaks to the rich history of craft and making.
4-Stillness
Visual and acoustical stillness creates a space of secure holiness, set apart from the exterior and the noise.
5-Threshold
A steel ramp rises gently into the new space, serving as a threshold to the experience, slowing one down and raising one’s awareness.
6-Rest
Fixed benches crafted from the same Douglas fir rise out of the floor to create flexible furniture that accommodates individuals, small groups or larger gatherings.
7-Gaps
Slender gaps in the ceiling integrate acoustics, lighting, return air and sprinklers. Gaps between the wood members of the walls emit light, allow the space to expand, and hold folded prayers that become evidence of people’s faith.
Project partners:
architect: debartolo architects
https://www.debartoloarchitects.com
contractor: the construction zone
photographer: roehner + ryan photographers
