Q. How long has the architect been in business?

As a partnership, Parker Seminoff Architects has been in business since early 2012. Individually the partners have been practicing for much longer than that. Kelly earned the designation of registered architect in 2002 after completing a 5 year internship at Woods Parker Architects in Calgary. David was a founding partner of Woods Parker Architects in 1981 and is principal of his firm Parker Architects in Ontario where he has been actively serving church clients for more than 12 years.

Q. What percentage of the firm’s business is designing church facilities?

Currently about 85% of our work is serving church clients and the rest is divided among residential, commercial and institutional work. At Parker Architects, more than 95% of David’s work is for church clients, and he has worked with more than 200 congregations in his career.

Q. How many people does the architect’s firm employ?

At the moment we have 5 people associated with our firm, which allows us to design projects up to $10M. Four of those associates are registered architects, covering a broad range of skills and project experience from design and cost estimating to 3D modeling, specification writing and project management.

Q. Does the architect have a valid license for the province in which you intend to build?

Each province has their own licensing requirements and we are currently able to practice in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario.

Q. Does the architect commonly do church projects of the style, size and budget that you anticipate building?

Of course we do! You’ll find that our work covers a vast range of styles, sizes and budgets. We believe that no project is too small to benefit from an architect. Our job is to listen carefully to your requirements and deliver a design that best meets your space and budget needs.

Let us tell you more about how our past experience has equipped us to help you move your dream to reality. Contact David Parker or Kelly Seminoff at www.parkerseminoff.com or leave a comment below.

(These questions from Stephen Anderson’s book “Before You Build”)

When it comes to finding financial resources for ministry in churches today, most of us do not do fundraising well. It is usually limited to teaching or preaching on tithing, or inviting the ushers to come forward to receive the offering. This is one of those things that they don’t teach you in Bible College or Seminary.

One reason for this is that there seems to be a misunderstanding about what fundraising is, and another is that we don’t know how to actually do fundraising. In my experience in church life for over 50 years, I have found a real hesitancy to talk about money, and a stronger reticence to ask for money. Is this perhaps because we look on this issue as a spiritual one, and instead of asking people, perhaps we should just ask God to prompt people to give?

Let me suggest a couple of ideas for you to ponder. First, since the Bible does in fact talk about money as much as any other subject, perhaps it should be preached or taught about as much as other biblical topics in the church year. Second, raising financial resources, or ‘fundraising’ for short, is not just asking for money, it is vision-casting more than anything. This requires a time of preparing the donor to respond to what God is prompting them to give. Lots of biblical passages lend themselves to a series of messages about the vision God has for the church, and how He expects us to support His vision financially. Third, don’t wait until you are in a panic situation. This leads to what I call ‘needs based’ fundraising rather than ‘vision based’ fundraising. In other words, you only ask for finances when it seems like you will end the year in the red, and perhaps have to cut back staff or ministry opportunities. Then, when the need is met the giving dries up as well.

…..What is it like at your church? Leave a comment below….

Guest post by David Belsey, ThM, DMin, Faith Based Fundraising Associates

The basic building costs include:

• surveying and building layout
• site clearing
• excavation
• foundations
• wall and roof structure
• exterior cladding including walls, roofs, windows and doors
• interior finishes
• interior equipment
• heating, ventilation, air conditioning and plumbing
• electrical service
• fire sprinklers

A Global budget will also include:

• Development Permit fees
• Building Permit fees
• consultant’s fees: architect; structural, mechanical and electrical engineers; civil engineer; landscape architect; acoustical consultant; A/V designers; soils consultants; kitchen consultant
• contractors fees
• GST and GST rebate
• contingencies:
• design contingency to cover small items not specifically itemized in the detailed cost estimate
• construction contingency to cover unforeseen changes during construction
• escalation contingency to cover the difference in cost between the original estimate and the actual tender
• storm water management plan
• paved parking and curbs
• landscaping and plant materials
• surveying and soil testing
• independent inspectors for roof or steel installations

It’s important to calculate what you can afford before undertaking any design work. Have your architect prepare a detailed Global Project Budget during the design stage and make sure you know what your congregation is willing to give towards the project – they will always remember the first cost estimate you tell them, so make sure it is complete.

For more information about detailed, global cost estimates contact David Parker or Kelly Seminoff at parkerseminoff.com

Architecture is handcraft. Architecture is art. Most of all architecture is framing human life. With architecture comes a great responsibility of trying to understand the human nature. I’m convinced that architecture has to be functional, durable and beautiful. Furthermore it’s very important to me that my architecture reveals a clear and understandable concept – tells a simple story. I don’t believe that “less is more”, but I enjoy when simple and beautiful geometrical shapes solve all challenges in a project. Architecture doesn’t have to be difficult and I don’t think that innovative architecture has to look like something exploded.

THOM MAYNE

What is architecture really? It is taking our world view, how we exist, how we deal with each other in a civil society, and it concretizes it, it makes it permanent, it makes it evident. The social act and the aesthetic act come together. Architecture is a public act: It can only finally be about our social space: connections between people, a public space, the connective tissue.

PETER ZUMTHOR

Architecture is a sensuous art, because it is perceived with the senses. If you like a house or an inner space, perhaps a living room or a church, it is something you feel, not something you think. Of course, the mind comes into play too, as it is through experience that we understand how buildings work, and so there is a certain empiricism at work. But the most important thing is emotional understanding. This cannot always be rationalized or summoned at will. It is often just there. Architecture is partly based on the sense of touch. Materials used in architecture are the equivalent of notes for the composer. I work with all materials, and like them all. The interest lies in finding ever-new ways to put the notes together – to achieve a specific final sound.

RAIMUND ABRAHAM

I consider architecture a discipline, not a profession. Considering the classic periods of architecture, architecture was more or less confined to the sacred and political power. Architecture represented a spiritual device and now it is considered that it should merely ornament our lives. For me architecture’s role is to elevate the profane with the sacred. If you succeed in making architecture, the sacred has to prevail. That means that in the most profane or the most pragmatic program, the program always has to succumb to this period of the sacred whether it is a small house, a cathedral or a temple.

BJARKE INGELS

Architecture seems to be entrenched in two equally unfertile fronts: Either naively utopian or petrifying pragmatic. We believe that there is a third way wedged in the no mans land between the diametrical opposites. Or in the small but very fertile overlap between the two. A pragmatic utopian architecture that takes on the creation of socially, economically and environmentally perfect places as a practical objective. In our projects we test the effects of scale and the balance of programmatic mixtures on the social, economical and ecological outcome. Like a form of programmatic alchemy we create architecture by mixing conventional ingredients such as living, leisure, working, parking and shopping.

We seldom even notice the buildings around us, never mind find inspiration in them. Building W15 is an exception. It’s more than a building, it’s architectural genius. When I first visited it in 1994, it had a profound effect on me as it solidified my slowly forming desire to be an architect.

All great pieces of architecture have broad appeal, so the ways this building inspired me will be found in other great buildings that you might experience. It’s a building of mystery, of contrasts, of simplicity, and when I first stood inside I was literally speechless. It’s effect is that powerful. There is so much to say about this building’s history, context, structure, scale, order, location and how each of these contributes to it’s greatness. Perhaps most importantly Building W15 appealed to my INTELLECT, my EMOTIONS and my SUBCONSCIOUS to affect me profoundly

The Kresge Chapel is located on the campus of MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, famous for it’s excellence in science and engineering. It is simply labelled “Building W15” on campus maps. It was completed in 1955 by a Finnish American architect, Eero Saarinen. It’s a non-denominational chapel, seating about 130 people

This building appealed to my INTELLECT for several reasons. It has purity of form, simplicity. Its a windowless brick cylinder about 50 feet in diameter, and it’s roundness is symbolic of unity, wholeness, infinity, perfection. Approaching the building, you see it is surrounded by a moat, a shallow channel filled with water. The effect is to separate it from it’s surroundings. It’s a “holy” place, “set apart”. I’ll come back to the moat again shortly.

The function of this building is simple: it’s a chapel. It’s a place to contemplate the divine, for introspection, for prayer. You enter perpendicular to the main axis into a low, rectangular volume, in contrast to the main round form. The entry hall is dissimilar in materials, geometry and scale. It’s a mosaic of light and colour. It’s a compressive space with a low ceiling, it wants to squeeze you out. You’re compelled to turn towards the doors. The geometry of the building directs your path inwards into the main space

Not only did Building W15 appeal to my intellect, but also to my EMOTIONS. It lends a sense of deep peace, security, refuge. The main chapel doors are solid, weighty. You enter into a dim, quiet space, and your eyes need a few moments to adjust. The primary material inside is brick, but not a smooth, perfect brick, it’s irregular, lumpy, textured, expressive of humanity’s own imperfections. There is wood, not in a contrasting colour, but harmonious to match the brick. Same with the floor surface. You also notice there are no grilles for air flow, but it comes through holes in the bricks, totally integrated in the walls, not distracting or abrupt. All these elements work together to focus your eyes on the altar, the focal point of the space. It’s a pure white marble altar, bathed in light from above, from an “oculus”, a round skylight. It’s a mystical place with a quiet, calming effect.

In contrast to the peace this building gives, there is also a sense of exuberance. The metal sculpture scatters the light. It changes from every angle. The interior brick surface undulates. Its a suitable expression of the divine. The object of our faith is not rectangular, but fluid. You soon notice, in contrast to the strong light above the altar, there is a shimmering, flickering light bathing the walls from below. This is genius. Remember the water we saw in the moat? Light is reflected off the water, upwards, onto the inside walls. It’s animated, ever changing. The architect was inspired during a trip to Sparta, Greece, on a hillside at night, with a full moon above and low, lingering light on the horizon.

Building W15 also appealed to my SUBCONSCIOUS. The way materials, geometry and light combine to create a work of power and mystery, together they reinforce the building’s purpose as a place of introspection, of contemplation. There’s a “rightness” about it that’s difficult to explain, but when a building can literally leave you speechless, you know it’s a work of genius. That it connected with something deep inside you. After only a few moments of introspection in this powerful space I was inspired to become a better architect.

That’s the power of a brilliant work of architecture, one that appeals to your intellect, emotions and subconscious. While not everyone aspires to be an architect, everyone can be inspired by these important places. When you happen to discover a special place like this you’ll know it on many levels, and just maybe your life will be changed because of it.

How do you measure success in your ministry? Generally speaking, success is the accomplishment of a specific aim or purpose. From an architectural point of view, a particular ministry can be most successful when the building doesn’t get in it’s way, when its design elements are exactly suited to your ministry requirements. More than that, with a little forethought the building design can actually support and enhance your ministry. Here’s how we do it.

Ministry Requirements

We survey each ministry team to find out what their exact requirements are. How many people are involved? What are the demographics? When does the ministry happen? Do they have any special requirements? What kind of lighting? Windows? Access to other ministry spaces? Only then, using past experience and rules of thumb, can we design a space that is precisely suited to the ministry.

For example a sunday school classroom for 30 elementary school children will be in a secure, limited-access location, with a floor area of 600 square feet, with sufficient airflow for ventilation, will have a sink and cabinets for storage, windows to the outside, and located close to the washrooms. It will be painted bright cheerful colours, have playful floor and ceiling patterns, and adjustable lighting. It’s a room that enables children to focus and learn, to have fun, and to better interact with the teachers and each other. It’s a place they want to be in, and stay in.

Space Relationships

We also carefully consider each room or space in it’s larger context. That is, it’s located in a particular place within the building but adjacent to other important support spaces. During the design stage we think of the individual rooms as pieces in a big puzzle which we shuffle and adjust until the best picture emerges. The result is a logical, ordered, sensible plan perfectly suited to your ministry objectives.

For example, an office area might be self contained, located near the front entrance for surveillance and security, have a work area, kitchen, bathrooms and enough room for visitors. It might be located along exterior walls to benefit from natural light and views. The offices have acoustical properties conducive to work and speech, yet enough separation from each other for private conversations. A space like this enables your staff to do their work efficiently, cheerfully and effectively. It’s a space that doesn’t get in the way of their ministry.

We also consider the vertical dimensions of a space to ensure the best possible proportions in relation to the human body. A worship space will be taller than an office space. A foyer for gatherings will be a medium height, while washrooms can be shorter. Properly proportioned spaces just feel right.

Often ministry team leaders are experts on their ministry only, and building committee members may not have an idea of how the building functions as a whole. That’s where we come in. Architects are Big-Picture thinkers, so by being completely aware of your total ministry we can imagine how all the parts will coexist peacefully. It’s about good architecture, yes, but it’s also about enabling your ministry.

For help with reconciling your ministry goals with building design contact David Parker or Kelly Seminoff at Parker Seminoff Architects or leave a comment below.

Deep down inside each one of us is the desire to be in community. There’s no doubt that connecting with other others is important to our personal well being. When thinking about your new church building, how can you use design to enhance the short time each week when people are together after a church service?

This is where the built environment and the social environment overlap. As designers, we can manipulate the way architecture (the way in which the building elements are assembled to create space) can support those critical social interactions.

1. Create spaces that people want to be in, and stay in.

• Light: it’s important to let in just the right amount of daylight. Sunshine is life, and it gives physical and psychological warmth to a space, but too much daylight is harsh and uncomfortable; control is the key. You need the right size windows in the right location.
• Colours: we tend to relax and linger in spaces with warm, earthy colours like yellows, greens, browns.
• Proportions: people are more comfortable in spaces that have a human scale. Sensible, practical room height and width. More rectangular or squarish and less linear, which encourages movement through.

2. Make that space conducive to human interaction.

• Acoustics: the space should allow the human voice to travel comfortably, with the right blend of hard and soft surfaces. Too many hard surfaces creates echoes, while too many soft surfaces absorb sound and suck the life out of conversation.
• Temperature: like Goldilocks, not too hot, not too cold, but juuust right. Fresh air should be plentiful but not drafty.
• Materials: people like to be surrounded by materials that are warm and comfortable not harsh and institutional. When we’re comfortable we’re more likely to converse honestly and naturally. Natural textures like wood and stone are durable yet homey. We need enough variation in texture that we’re not bored.
• Furniture: Give people a variety of seating options: tall tables and stools, comfortable couches and tables, chairs and bistro tables, and plenty of room to stand out of the path of movement.

3. If possible, add food and coffee. What better way to interact socially with our friends than over a snack, a full meal or a good coffee or tea? Make it convenient by locating this service in close proximity to your social space. Whether it’s a small coffee counter or a full service cafeteria you’ll find people will better enjoy connecting with friends.

These are a few ways in which you can facilitate those critical social interactions on Sunday mornings. Meaningful meeting spaces are not difficult or expensive to achieve, but they do need to be identified as a priority and then designed properly in the planning stage.

For help designing your great connection spaces contact David Parker or Kelly Seminoff at Parker Seminoff Architects or leave a comment below.

Most churches today would say that they want guests to feel welcome. The entrance to your building is the first point of contact for your visitors. What will it say to them?

The elements of architecture need to be considered carefully, so the material quality of walls, floors, ceilings, doors and windows work together to express the idea of “welcome”.

While we equate “entrance” with “door”, the actual idea of entrance actually begins much farther away, at the parking lot. This is where your visitor first perceives the entrance. “That’s where I need to go”. So make it easy for them. Let the entrance be prominent: a distinctive roof line, a change of colour, proper signage. Make the path easy to follow, well lit, and wide enough for at least two people to walk side by side.

The act of entering should not be too abrupt in order to give your guests time to transition from outside to inside, from here to there, to make the necessary adjustments in their minds. A short distance before the entrance, give them a signal that they are approaching the entrance: a change in ground materials, maybe a canopy overhead, a change in landscaping. It says “You’re almost there”.

As guests approach, allow them to see inside. Transparency is both physical and metaphorical: it allows them to form a connection between outside and inside.

Your visitor is now at the door, ready to Enter. As they extend their hand to the door make it a special moment. Make the handle easy to grasp, to pull open the door in one smooth operation. And as they finally step inside… “Ahh, you’re here! Welcome!”

For more information about making your entrance welcome, contact David Parker or Kelly Seminoff at www.parkerseminoff.com

One of the questions we are most often asked is “How do you calculate your fees, and what is included?” Reading between the lines you’ll find the question “Why are your fees so high?” This common perception is at the root of many people’s hesitation to hire an architect. There seems to be a disconnect between the public perception of what an architect does and the value they actually bring to a project. Here are some factors to consider:

• Public Safety – Architects have a duty of care to their clients, the general public and the building’s users. Buildings need to provide a safe and healthy environment by having enough exits, appropriate fire ratings, structural integrity, barrier-free access and proper air quality.
• Training requirements – earning an architecture degree takes at least 6 years. The internship program takes about 5 years followed by an intense registration exam. And then mandatory continuing education for the rest of our career. It’s amazing that people still want to pursue architecture as a career!
• Liability – buildings are complicated, made up of many individual components that somehow have to function properly together. There are so many ways that a building could fail, and if they do, guess who’s responsible? It takes knowledge, due diligence and experience to mitigate the risk inherent in any building project.
• Building Code - have you SEEN the building code? More than 1,175 pages of gobbledegook, taking literally years to be able to understand and interpret correctly. And it’s not optional, it’s a legal requirement of all building projects.
• Leadership – architects have to be able to coordinate a team of engineers and other consultants on our client’s behalf. Structural, mechanical and electrical engineers to start with. Also geotechnical engineer, civil engineer, landscape architect, kitchen consultant, interior designer, acoustic consultant, cost consultant, code consultant… well, you get the idea. We have to ask the right questions at the right time and to be accountable to our clients.
• Building Science – the most common cause of building problems is water getting into where it shouldn’t be. Your building has to be designed and detailed well enough to keep out water, including rainwater, water vapour and condensation that causes mould. To do it properly takes experience, skill, time and sometimes extensive product research.
• Design – space planning, stairs, site orientation, handicap access, functional layout, lighting, history, cultural expression, parking, landscaping, equipment, drainage, materials, colours, air handling, daylighting, structural system, occupant loads, elevators, circulation, budget, sustainability. All of these somehow have to work together to form a solution the client is happy with.

In spite of the public perception of high fees, architects bring a great amount of value to a building project and we always try to appropriately tailor our fee proposals to the unique characteristics of each project. For more information about architects fees contact David Parker or Kelly Seminoff at www.parkerseminoff.com or leave a comment below.

While competitive bidding is prudent for certain types of manufactured goods or products, procuring architectural services is a different situation. The following excerpt is from a brochure published by the Alberta Association of Architects:

“You probably make it a priority to obtain competitive bids for the goods you purchase, and may well wonder why the same procedure is not used in procuring architectural services. When you work with us, you’re acquiring the talents and services of a professional rather than a product you can touch, feel or test drive. Because our services should be judged on a qualitative rather than a quantitative basis, it is not in your best interests to make a decision solely on the basis of cost.

Because the exact nature and scope of the services you require cannot be specified at the outset of your project, it is impossible for you, or for us, to foresee what professional services, technical knowledge, judgement or skills will be required. Such clear specifications are essential to the accuracy of any competitive bid, for without them, you will find yourself comparing apples to oranges.

We agree that competition is a healthy and valuable aspect of every business activity. At the same time, to fully and properly meet your needs we must compete on the basis of our ability to perform the services, rather than on the basis of lowest cost. From your point of view, an insignificant saving on professional services could not only lead to greater expenditures during the construction stage, it could have serious impacts on the ultimate quality of your project.”

John Ruskin once said: “It is unwise to pay too much, but it is worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money, that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was purchased to do.”

For more information on our ability to perform architectural services contact David Parker or Kelly Seminoff at Parker Seminoff Architects or leave a comment below.