The Latest Trends In Church Design

Today’s Americans church buildings are far removed from what many remember from their childhood. These buildings are often used for meetings other than worship services, so today’s church leaders have kept that in mind while working with their Minneapolis builder.

Professionals from the general contracting community have answered this call by helping the area’s churches design their buildings with modern areas. A commercial contractor can help either renovate an older building, or build new buildings to help today’s church serve their community.

Large entryways for easy flow between services are one of the most prominent new features of today’s church, including information centers that are mobile, such as a kiosk one would see in a mall. Churches are also now beginning to include retail areas, such as a bookstore or a coffee shop close to the entryway, for the convenience of their parishioners.

Oversized foyers are part of an overall trend in multipurpose buildings. Not only can the entry be used for flow, but also fellowship and meetings, both formal and informal. Educational areas of churches are being designed so that they can be used for both school and meeting areas with portable walls.

In some churches, areas are being set apart for children’s ministries, often designed as clubhouses or some other kid-friendly theme. In fact, children are the fastest growing area of a church’s population, and many church leaders have a general contractor update their interior design to reflect these new trends in children’s ministry.

Space has become a major concern for any commercial contractor helping develop an updated building for the community. The average space per church member is 52 square feet, but the new recommendation is 60 square feet. More parking and either larger or additional restrooms are also becoming part of the norm. The new recommendation for parking is to go over the county’s code by 20 percent in order to accommodate both flow between services and handicapped church members. County building codes typically require one bathroom fixture per 150 people of each gender. The latest trend says to double that, and in the case of women, to double it again.

Another area of concern for churches is the worship area. Platforms are being built larger to accommodate both the demands of contemporary worship style services and non-worship service type of activities, such as plays and concerts held in the sanctuary. This works in tandem with the audio-visual department, which often features a sound board for the pastor’s microphone and microphones for singers and musicians. It will also house digital recording equipment and computers for broadcasting lyrics to worship choruses.

Today’s churches are also investing in state-of-the-art security systems to secure their investment, as well as securing their storage areas to prevent theft.

Larger and more flexible areas for worship, fellowship, parking and education are all new trends among today’s churches. A Minneapolis builder will be able to assist any church leader in building a brand new building or updating their existing building.