Many Rooms: Mixed Use Reimagining Church Redevelopments in Vancouver

Abstract

In recent decades, Christian congregations in Canada have seen a significant decrease in affiliation and attendance. As congregations dwindled, many of the aging church buildings across the country have been sold, converted, or demolished. This has resulted in the loss of community-serving spaces in both rural and urban communities across the country. While existing research focuses on the adaptive reuse of churches, the recently emerging phenomenon of the mixed-use church building brings a new opportunity to reconsider how church buildings may evolve in response to the changing needs of contemporary society.

A mixed-use church building is a typology which integrates the religious and communal functions of a church within the fabric of a multi-story residential building. Redeveloping presents congregations with the opportunity to continue their ministry in the community, while preserving or expanding their spatial capacity. In addition, these projects also allow congregations to provide new amenities in the form of below-market housing. The research examines the contextual conditions which lead to the mixed-use option, and critically evaluates two recently completed case studies in terms of their architectural qualities. The thesis is an experimental design proposal of this typology in the city of Vancouver, which explores the architectural opportunities in combining religious, public, and residential functions.

Based on the diverse range of ways that places of worship are utilized, as well as the demand for community serving spaces, the thesis proposes three public rooms set within a residential fabric: a hall, a theatre, and a chapel. Each explores a different relationship between sacred space in the urban context, one that opens onto the street, one below the ground, and one open to the sky, respectively. In doing so, the thesis explores how the mixed-use church building can create spaces which serve both church congregations, and the city at large.