What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the phrase “award-winning design”?
Do you envision the highest ideals of design excellence, accompanied by images of your favorite projects through the years? Or do you immediately picture dollar signs and outsized egos?
Your perspective may well depend upon your role in the building process. If you’re an architect, you’re well aware that design excellence happens at all scales and within all budgets. You also know that a successful project begins and ends with realizing each client’s unique vision. If you’re part of a building committee, however, you may suspect that award-winning designs come with a high price tag. You may worry that you’ll end up with a radical design that doesn’t reflect your values, or a facility that will invite the faulty perception that your worship center is more concerned with image than with outreach.
Every stage of design should serve as a springboard for deeper conversation and better understanding, so that the ultimate design direction truly represents the client’s vision.
The conversation about excellence often begins with worship clients who, at the earliest stages of a project, start to talk about “timeless designs” or imagine a new worship center that “truly reflects the identity of the congregation.” These clients are hoping for something more than a facility that merely provides enough functional square footage. These early discussions about a congregation’s aspirations for their worship center provide a perfect opportunity for the architect to underscore a critical message: award-winning design is not about expensive materials or trendy images, but about executing a project, from the big picture down to the hardware details, with thoughtfulness and care. However modest in size or materials, any space that truly reflects the identity of those who worship within it can demonstrate design excellence.
First things first
A successful process for any design project begins with building trust and communication. The architect’s first job is to listen deeply. Honest communication is key so that the entire team can work toward a clearly articulated vision. The architect may understand this process intuitively; architects know that they are entrusted with the client’s vision, as clients are entrusted to be stewards of their congregation’s vision, mission and resources. In this significant role, the building committee becomes a champion for excellence, challenging the design team to think more deeply about the unique mission of the congregation and how this mission might manifest itself as physical space.
As the architect begins to work through divergent options, the building committee should view each iteration as an opportunity for discussion and refinement, and not just accept the first conceptual design as the prescribed direction. Every stage of design should serve as a springboard for deeper conversation and better understanding, so that the ultimate design direction truly represents the client’s vision. In addition to setting the bar high in terms of design, the entire team should continue to advocate for design elements that reflect the values of the congregation, whether these include sustainable design strategies or careful stewardship of funds. In every case, the building committee should work closely with the architect to find the solutions to achieve the best possible results with the wisest use of resources. With ingenuity and resourcefulness, well-conceived designs can be realized on the most modest of budgets.
From concept to reality
Once the team has come to a consensus regarding a vision for a project, how do we go about creating a potentially award-winning design? A powerful communication tool in talking about design, particularly in our highly visual culture with easy access to digital images, is the case study. The design team and the building committee should research and discuss elements from recent award-winning worship facilities, far-flung as well as local. An excellent resource is the annual Faith and Form/IFRAA Design Awards. Even a quick perusal of the vast range of building types will convey powerfully that all projects, from modest to expansive, can demonstrate excellence in design and execution. Spare, partially enclosed prayer structures in developing regions; simple but transformative adaptive reuse strategies for existing concrete block buildings; intimate hospital meditation spaces; well-detailed mega churches: award-winning design hinges upon careful execution of an idea, not upon expensive budgets and flashy structures. Each space reflects its place, its users, and its available materials; each pays close attention to form and light; each intentionally creates and encloses a worshipful space, however humble or magnificent. Whatever the scale, form, materials, or budget, the design process should ultimately energize both the designers and the client. The pursuit of excellence will challenge each member of the team to articulate project goals clearly, explore a wide variety of concepts, and create an inspiring project that truly reflects the mission of its congregation.
Are award-winning designs, then, worth pursuing? Absolutely. Though everyone loves to win, it’s not ultimately about ego, either for the design team or the client. The design process really shouldn’t be focused on winning an award but on pursuing excellence. Aspiring to a high level of excellence in design from the earliest project stages will lead to a building that is better in every regard than one which just fits the program. The pursuit of excellence elevates the craft of both design and construction, creating a clarity of purpose for the designers and a unified identify for the congregation. Knowing that a congregation embraces the ideal of a high-quality design will challenge the architect to work through multiple iterations to create thoughtful, functional design solutions with the best interests of the client as a guiding principle. With this collaborative process focused on achieving design excellence, the end result might be an award-winning project, but more importantly, it will very likely win the gratitude of the people who worship, study, and [have] fellowship within it.
