Images: LS3P
Elevation Church - Lake Norman, Cornelius, NC
Although sustainable design has been around for decades, initially there was push back by some churches to go the “green” route. Eventually, the green building agenda evolved into more of a “Creation Care” movement, with renewed support for protecting the Earth and all that is God’s creation.
So where does green building in house of worship spaces stand today?
“Worship facilities should be at the forefront of environmentally sustainable practices because if we truly believe that we have been entrusted us with the stewardship of the world, churches certainly have a primary responsibility for economic stewardship for their congregation, and environmental health should play a role in decision-making,” says James Theimer, AIA, founder and director of design for Trilogy Architecture in Redding, Calif.
“Most churches seem to be interested in cost savings related to energy management and conservation, [but] not necessarily LEED certification.” James Theimer, AIA, Founder & Director of Design, Trilogy Architecture, Redding, CA
He notes that Trilogy has three core objectives when it comes to sustainable churches—natural resource conservation, non-toxic environments, and energy efficiency.
“We look for ways to use products that have been manufactured from recycled raw material or can be recycled,” Theimer says. “We insist that our building materials are manufactured without [the] use of toxic compounds. Finally, we use every tool possible to increase energy efficiency in our building systems. The last is of critical importance, as buildings are responsible for 70% of the energy used in the United States.”
He finds that improving energy efficiency is one area clients are most interested in--and one that Trilogy Architecture increasingly employs, using the concept of indoor-outdoor spaces to reduce energy consumption.
Indoor-outdoor emphasis
“Providing large operable doors to open indoor space to the outdoor environment in a moderate climate has been increasingly positively viewed,” Theimer notes. “Most churches seem to be interested in cost savings related to energy management and conservation, [but] not necessarily LEED certification.”
Nathan Daniel AIA, principal architect and faith practice leader with design firm LS3P in Charlotte, N.C., says with community as the foundation, the implementation of sustainable strategies within the built environment represent the church’s stewardship to enhance the health and well being of the people.
“Revitalization and adaptive reuse of existing structures remains a leading environmentally sustainable initiative for our ministry partners,” he says. “These transactions fuel energy and economic development into the community. We are currently working with a local church and developer to revitalize an abandoned Super Kmart site in north Charlotte. This endeavor will bring ministry, commercial and retail vibrancy to a community hub that has not seen activity in years.”
Daniel has also noticed churches strategically integrating themselves into business park developments, one as an exit strategy and second, to offset the high site costs and parking demands required by these uses. This strategy has been largely successful, he shares, as the church peak utilization is when the commercial space utilization is at its lowest, thus the shared parking model is a significant benefit.
"Revitalization and adaptive reuse of existing structures remains a leading environmentally sustainable initiative for our ministry partners. These transactions fuel energy and economic development into the community." Nathan Daniel AIA, Principal Architect and Faith Practice Leader, LS3P, Charlotte, NC
“Another innovative measure that we continue to see implemented in highly impacted sites, such as church projects and their high impervious needs for parking, is the practice of stormwater best management practices,” he says. “Onsite sustainable stormwater BMPS and the integration of vegetation, at a minimum, will reduce the volume of water leaving the property through infiltration and retention, and provides substantial benefits to water quality through filtration.”
Other trends that continue to be integrated in church design are proactive measures towards net zero energy buildings. Efforts include minimizing fossil fuel energy consumption and integrating high performance window glazing systems that manage daylight and heat gain, while still providing the visual connection to the outdoors.
In addition, designers have implemented a stronger focus on LED lighting strategies that reduce stress on the power grid while offering cost savings to the owner. These strategies are utilizing smart building technology to sense and understand how spaces are being used and how to manage power consumption within those environments.
Becoming LEED-certified
Churches and worship facilities offer people a place of respite, peace, and a moment to connect and reflect. How those spaces are designed influences what that experience is like for a person.
Emma Hughes at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) project manager, says the connection between buildings and people is becoming an increasingly important factor in design and in green building strategies, with more and more building owners seeking levels of LEED certification. The acknowledgement of the building-people connection can help steer churches in the direction of spaces that support the physical, emotional, mental health, and well-being of occupants and visitors.
... there are more than 40 religious buildings and spaces that have been LEED-certified in the United States.
LEED, an internationally recognized green building certification system, was created in 1998 by the USGBC, and it defines benchmarks for green building. Resource use efficiency, particularly optimizing the use of energy and water and minimizing waste, was a priority for the industry in the beginning and, through LEED, many of the associated efficiency strategies have become mainstream.
Today, for example, low VOC paints and finishings, biophilic design, and low-flow water fixtures are all things people associate with a green building, whereas 20 years ago no one had heard of them.
Currently, there are more than 40 religious buildings and spaces that have been LEED-certified in the United States.
Coralville, Iowa's St. Thomas More Catholic Church, just one example, became LEED certified in 2011. The building team, which included Miron Construction, Neumann-Monson Architects, and Bahr Vermeer Haecker Architects, was committed to caring for God’s creation and determined to act as good environmental stewards of the land. The church was a single-story structure of more than 25,000 square feet that included a sanctuary, narthex gathering space, and office space. A lower level is used as a social hall and for religious education.
“To achieve certification, the building team diverted 87% of its construction waste from landfill. It also extracted, processed, and manufactured 61% of its materials regionally, which reduced emissions [that would've resulted] from transporting materials to and from the site, and committed to using low-emitting materials, such as adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, carpeting, composite wood, and agrifiber,” Hughes says.
By doing so, the church improved its energy performance by 28% beyond the rating system baseline.
By doing so, the church improved its energy performance by 28% beyond the rating system baseline. One notable green decision was to integrate energy-efficient lighting systems, which enabled the St. Thomas More to save on operating costs. In addition, its building does not use potable water for irrigation.
Demonstrating environmental discipleship
While the USGBC recognizes that not every church is ready to pursue LEED certification, every church has an opportunity to demonstrate how it is investing in operational improvements in support of their congregation and the environment.
“Environmental stewardship is often a strong part of a church’s core values, and there’s no better way to demonstrate that than through the design of the church itself,” Hughes says. “There are clear environmental benefits to building green, but from a business perspective, it’s also a way to help reduce operating costs and improve efficiency of the space overall. Those are very tangible benefits for a church.”
