At Life.Church, we strive to honor Christ and His church with integrity. Often integrity is illustrated in the way we spend money.
When constructing new buildings there are plenty of variables to keep in mind.
These variables drive costs and can create or alleviate friction both in your budget and with your attendees and staff. (You don’t want your staff working in a clown car!)
Vertical space, or how tall your building should be, isn’t always an immediate consideration, but it's actually very important to the look and feel of your church. And it shouldn’t be a burden on your heating and cooling expenses either.
Height considerations are most critical in auditoriums where projectors and screens are used. This is the formula we use to determine the height of our auditoriums:
The formula we use to determine the ideal height is:
Stage height + 7’ + projection screen height
For example, if your stage is four feet tall and your screen is eight feet tall your auditorium height would be 19 feet.
This gives you the space you need to place your overhead projector and still have clearance for ductwork.
Our formula keeps our building height as low as possible so there is less overall space to heat and cool.
What we've learned:
Project designs should be functional and efficient. Consider all the variables when you're planning, even the ones that aren't obvious like vertical space. Design your building with the goal of creating all the space you need to keep your costs down but your attendee experience high.
