The primary focus of a church in terms of design is to bring glory to God and imbue the church with meaningful symbolism that creates a proper atmosphere for worship and spreading the gospel.
However, one part of bringing glory to God and imbuing the church with faith-based values is being good wardens of God’s creation.
While building a church, it is more than possible to create grand designs worthy of a church while minimizing the impact the project has on the environment both in the immediate area and abroad.
Today, we’re going to explore some of the eco-friendly sustainable church architecture in use.
Let’s get started!
1: Less Reliance on Materials that are Difficult to Source
A church typically isn’t made of materials that are bad for the environment in and of themselves. Wood and stone are perfectly natural, and they don’t cause much harm during the construction process.
However, the methods used to source them can be destructive. Quarries used to gather stone can displace animal habitats and force clear-cutting to be done, and the lumber industry is notorious for not using sustainable practices when clearing trees for lumber.
When talking about sustainable church architecture there is one innovation that helps remove that problem and it's the use of man-made materials that can be made and installed without all the lengthy sourcing processes and high-emission equipment.
Foam is a great example of this. It can mimic stone and wood, and it can be perfect for many applications within a church such as decorations, facades, and molding.
This foam is easily moldable, lasts indefinitely, and is extremely easy to maintain compared to its natural counterparts.
2: Innovative Sourcing of Natural Materials
While innovative synthetic materials help reduce the need for natural materials, those natural materials are still required. They’re integral in the church-building process.
However, many producers of those materials have started to rework their practices to be more ethical.
EV technology is being utilized on worksites to harvest materials without the high emissions of diesel counterparts. Prioritizing appropriate replanting and responsible harvesting of trees is essential.
Additionally, many top suppliers that church construction teams can choose from are making better decisions regarding their sources.
3: Minimizing Waste with Laser Scanning Technology
One of the biggest issues with any construction project isn’t the sourcing of materials or using materials appropriately. It’s the waste generated by such projects.
Construction teams have never intentionally generated unnecessary waste. That’s also a waste of money. Instead, most waste comes from inaccurate planning.
This is one of the most important innovations in sustainable church architecture. Now, it’s possible to use a technology called laser scanning to solve that issue.
Laser scanning allows church architects to create blueprints that are accurate up to a single millimeter of precision. That means that the exact number of materials needed can be calculated, and waste is almost entirely removed from the project.
There are still trimmings here and there and a small amount of waste, but it’s far less than what you get with traditional blueprinting methods.
Laser scanning doesn’t just increase the accuracy of the planning phase, though. It completely innovates how churches are designed.
This is because laser scanning allows designers to scan the real-world space that will eventually have the church built within it and translate that to a 1:1 recreation of the space in the digital world. From there, 3D modeling can be used to quickly and accurately plot out every detail of the church inside and out. That ability allows designers to work faster and more accurately, but it also allows you to work closely with designers to make sure you achieve your goals with the project. The designer can walk you through their vision and let you see it on screen in real-time.
That also helps with waste reduction, because you can spot things you don’t want in the final result before anything is built and have the design altered quickly and efficiently. There’s no need to go back later and redo work with even more materials.
4: The Use of Eco-Friendly Technological Features
Churches, while symbols of classical architecture and sacred beauty, have modern features to meet the needs of modern people. Air conditioning, kitchen appliances, heating, sound systems, proper insulation, and more are all included in modern churches.
This is another area where modern innovations have increased the sustainable nature of the church.
By choosing the right versions of those items, resource consumption for the church can be dramatically reduced. Since the electricity used to power most of the items, we listed requires fossil fuels to generate, less consumption means fewer fossil fuels burned.
This is incredibly important because churches aren’t small buildings. Just an HVAC system for a church can be the equivalent of multiple homes, and any technology that reduces power consumption while maintaining the desired effect is great.
5: Improved Lighting
Churches require a lot of lighting. As you follow along in your Bible to read the word of God, so are hundreds of other people. However, lighting takes energy.
Many churches have switched from traditional lighting systems to LED lighting that uses far less energy, lasts longer, and can shine even brighter. It’s also easier to adjust lighting on the fly to create the perfect atmosphere for worship in all kinds of situations.
6: Solar Power Reduces the Need for Fossil Fuels
While not yet widespread in sustainable church architecture, many churches have begun exploring the use of solar panels to reduce their reliance on grid-based power.
Solar panels can be installed on rooftops and power much of the church’s needs in most conditions. This means that grid-based power is only used as a supplementary power source, and far fewer fossil fuels are burnt to power day-to-day activities.
7: Water Conservation
Finally, low-water-consumption plumbing systems and appliances are becoming popular since they allow the church to have readily accessible water and all the modern necessities required of a public structure, but they don’t waste such a precious resource.
Build Your Sustainable Church Architecture with Baker Architects
If you’re looking to build a church and want to practice sustainable church architecture, Baker Architects is here to help.
Not only do we integrate our design skills with Christian values, but we also employ the most advanced sustainable methods and materials. This approach ensures our projects are not only accurate and flexible but also environmentally friendly and budget-conscious.
Contact us today and we’ll help you bring your vision to life with innovative, sustainable solutions that honor your values and support your community.
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