Design a church building

A building is a technological creation and our medieval church buildings represent some of the highest technological achievements of their , time. Here are some questions to launch a class upon an RE and technology project;

1        What materials have been used in the church's construction? You could find stone, brick, glass, marble, slate, wood, metals, concrete, even some modern plastics.

2        Why were these particular materials chosen? Answers could include local availability, strength, appearance, value, texture. Could the choice have been influenced by the purpose of the building?

3        Where did the materials come from? What mechanisms would be needed to construct the building? Can you find any masons' marks?

4        What colours are there within the building? Look for (ancient?) paintwork, stained glass, fabrics, stonework, metals. How do these contribute to worship in the building? Is there any symbolism here?

5        Sound is important in worship. Test the acoustics of the building for both voice (if possible chanting) and music. How do modern introductions such as an amplification system affect the acoustics?

All of these questions are very important, but ultimately, even in a technology centred project, other questions must be asked which focus on the living purpose of the building. Why did people go to all the labour and expense of building such edifices? Why did their religion mean so much to them? What changes have been made over the centuries to show the importance of faith to each generation?

Construction

Investigating a church building is an opportunity to examine forces and methods of building, including recreating the features one sees in the local church with specially shaped building blocks.

The arch is an immensely strong construction because of the way it deals with the loads placed on it; vertical loads compress the arch and are distributed downwards to the foundations. The behaviour of the lines of thrust and load bearing qualities of rounded Norman arches are fairly simple to demonstrate.

A second feature of church structure which maybe investigated is the use of tie beams to create triangular or scissor braced roof trusses. The tie beam of a roof truss prevents the tops of walls being pushed outwards by the weight of the roof. The trusses transmit the weight of the roof down the centre of the walls.

Designing a Modern Church

A challenging technology task is to design a modern church building. This can only be done once a class has had the opportunity of investigating a variety of Christian buildings and understand the different beliefs and values a church building encapsulates. This project is best planned to complete a series of sessions on the Christian faith. Here are some questions you would need to consider;

1        Is the building going to be multi-purpose? It may need to be adapted during the week to become a community hall, for example.

2        Will the outside of the building be distinctive so that people will know it is a church? Will it look welcoming?

3        Are you going to use a traditional cross shaped ground plan? Will you select another symbolic shape such as a fish, a circle or a triangle?

4        Will you keep all the main items of church furniture such as altar, lectern, pulpit and font: can you design modem versions of these?

5        Will the seating be moveable or fixed? Remember to consider sight lines in the worship area.

6        How will the building be decorated: what are the materials you would like to use?

The whole project could be planned as a model-making exercise (with key) with children working in small teams.

Alternatively, of course, the children could construct a model of their own local church as it stands at the present day.

ing a church building