Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Daylight and Acoustics Help a Worship Center Shine

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is a large structure scaled to fit into historic, residential, downtown Chapel Hill. Inside, the sanctuary is a testament to modern acoustics and eco-friendly daylighting.

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and Lutheran Campus Ministry in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, recently dedicated a new $3-million worship center. David Clinton, design principal for MHAworks, a Carolinas-based architecture firm, led the project team in the design of the 12,000-square-foot facility. The building team partner for Holy Trinity's expansion was The Resolute Building Company of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

"The goals of the design were to create an inspirational spiritual environment, based on daylight and exceptional acoustics, while scaling the inherently large structure to fit [into] the historic residential part of downtown Chapel Hill," Clinton reports.

The Holy Trinity project, led by MHAworks, consisted of planning, programming, design, and construction
administration for the expansion of the existing church facilities, as well as a comprehensive renovation to the sanctuary, narthex, library, food service facilities, music room, and classrooms.

In addition, the facility features Green building principals throughout, including re-use of a derelict building site; capture and slow-release rate of all storm water; low-intensity exterior lighting that does not escape the boundaries of the site; and the use of numerous products with recycled content and locally produced materials. http://www.mhaworks.com

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