Case Study: Designing a building for the community
Freedom Church are a community church in Bath, with a modern approach. They are dedicated to helping people find life, hope and purpose, and one of their core missions is to make sure they reach their communities with love and acts of kindness. Alongside the Trauma Recovery Centre, they are committed to making a difference in the local community.
In order to do this they needed a open, friendly space that benefitted the whole community and had enough space to house their range of projects. In 2008 they bought and renovated their current home, Freedom House, and we were later appointed to work on a brand new auditorium on these premises.
Our Creative Approach
Due to the constraints of the riverside setting, we were able to let our imagination dictate ideas for a fresh space that reinterpreted the current location.
The proposed structure will accommodate up to 400 people, providing an open space for the local community with plenty of space for services on a Sunday.
A creative approach for a church, an arts space and a community centre with flexibility to seamlessly transition between each.
Landscape and location
Freedom Church is located in the heart of Bath. With this, came a number of important planning considerations in order for the proposed auditorium to fit into the heritage and landscape of the city.
These constraints actually helped us in many ways. It enabled us to open up the scope for imagination, and design a vibrant, clean and open space which allows the church to flourish.
Materials
Building an auditorium requires consideration of the materials used for sound proofing and insulation. We carefully selected many of the materials for the building by their acoustic properties - white acoustic panels and an acoustical steel roof deck, for example.
Lighting such a large space was also a big consideration, and for this we selected linear suspended lights at different intervals to create a spacious, airy feel.
The feeling of space is paramount in this design, created an open atmosphere to be enjoy by all members of the church congregation and local community.
Final Visuals
“Quote block from client goes here, with image to the side”
