Church Works Studio

The GFF Church Works Studio is a team of highly experienced professionals who focus exclusively on the planning and design of faith based facilities. We see our role in a project as facilitators that will assist the Church in realizing their vision for the project, not imposing ours on you.  Our goal is that the design solution for your project mirror the unique qualities, culture and circumstances that exist for your church, not a formula driven solution that has been applied haphazardly without any real thought or consideration for your real needs and limitations.

We have extensive experience with designing church facilities and are very familiar with current trends and the most progressive thinking as it relates to Worship rooms, Children’s Education spaces and meaningful venues for Community Connection.  In that light, we believe that Worship venue design will continue to trend toward supporting immersive worship experiences that are heavily dependent on relatively sophisticated Audio and Video systems. There will continue to be emphasis on large Community Gathering spaces and secure, state-of-the-art environments for Children and Youth education. Sustainable design is beginning to emerge as a priority for many congregations. Church campuses are beginning to promote walk-ability, environmental sustainability and mixed-use options that dove-tail and integrate church campuses into the surrounding community.

Stylistically, we believe that many churches are favoring a more ‘authentic’ representation of who they are. The architecture is straightforward and honest, not glitzy and artificial. The modern church is not cloistered and mysterious, it is open and accessible.  Creating more transparent buildings can reveal the life of the church and become a visible extension of (and connected to) the community that surrounds the church.  Elaborate detailing and expensive materials have given way to more creative uses of inexpensive materials that are durable and easily maintained.  Raw concrete is celebrated not concealed, structural elements are exposed and paints and stains have often become the interior finish of choice.

Cost effective construction techniques, like the use of tilt-wall concrete, allow for high quality construction at affordable prices.  Energy efficiency should dominate the trend toward ‘green’ design, which will become the mandated norm for most future construction.  Parking solutions will seek options for ‘shared’ scenarios, which can reduce the extravagant (and expensive) amount of paving that surrounds (and disconnects) most large church campuses, freeing up budget dollars that can be applied toward landscaping and creating more meaningful outdoor environments.