St Barnabas' Broadway's congregation saw the winning design of their new church building for the first time last night. The design is unlike any other church building in the Sydney Diocese, but the rector of Barney's, the Rev Ian Powell says it will be a powerful tool to reach the city’s population. Could this be the start of a new trend of architecture-as-mission in the Sydney Diocese?
The signature feature of the new building, designed by Frances-Jones Morehen Thorp (FJMT), will be its wave-shaped roof, a design reminiscent of the Opera House "sails'.
Both parish council and the decision-making panel appointed for the project made a unanimous decision for the new design - the winner of St Barnabas’ Concept Design Competition - which Mr Powell says is "sympathetic to the site and its history".
The new building will feature a 600-seat worship space, a multi-purpose hall, offices and meeting rooms, and an underground carpark which could offer up to 80 spaces.
Possibilities for replacing the 1880 pipe organ destroyed in the May 10 fire last year are still being explored, including a digital option that delivers an authentic pipe-organ sound.
Barney's will have to raise "millions and millions" of dollars to fund the project, as insurance proceeds will only partially cover costs, according to Mr Powell.
"We'll only start to really raise money when we get a plan " people tend not to give to a concept," he says.
The design and approval process is expected to take nine months, followed by a 12-month construction period.
All things considered, Mr Powell says the transition from big idea to Broadway could be accomplished by as soon as 2010.
A renaissance reached?
Mr Powell indicates that the value of a church building goes beyond bricks and mortar to its emotional " and possibly spiritual " impact, a vital consideration for an inner-city parish.
"I think people are odd when they say we want a space that's cheap and dull and dated, when they would never choose to live in a place like that," he argues.
"But our society is interested in things that are spiritual.
“Nothing is gained in mission by pretending not to be a church - people are hungry for a spiritual oasis in a harsh functional world - rather than just maximising space.
“They want a space that does something with you, that says ‘This is about something different and more wonderful than work, money and holidays’.”
Mr Powell hopes the new building will be an encouragement to other Sydney Anglican churches to be creative in the design of their buildings in a way that fits with their evangelical faith.
"We hope it may be that this building may lead to a renaissance of good church architecture in Sydney," he says.
"You can be thoroughly evangelical and build a building that is actually attractive - certainly our forefathers thought so."
He reasons that, while the building will cost millions to complete, the investment is a valuable gift the church can give to future congregations.
"Some people will say, "How can you justify spending that money on yourselves when there's so much poverty in the world?'" Mr Powell says.
"I don't think we're spending it on ourselves " it's really about bequeathing to Sydney and future Christians an excellent place to meet for the next half a century or more."
Building a church, not an icon
Architect Dugald Mackenzie, who sits on the architectural panels for the western and northern regions in the Sydney Diocese, says there is a wide range of opinions relating to church architecture in the Diocese.
"There are two poles " at one, you have the low evangelicals who say that a building is just a shed to conduct church meetings in," he says.
"But at the other, Archbishop Donald Robinson wrote a paper on church architecture which held that the building has to reflect the character of God."
Mr Mackenzie says an architect designing a church building would be most likely to look for a design that combines aesthetic appeal and functionality.
"Most self-respecting architects would try to design something that has architectural character and flair, because at some level, the building has to be inviting," he says.
"I think you can deliver everything " good thought-out planning and use of space that is pleasing to the eye " without making it an icon," he says.
He adds that the key is to see church buildings through a theological lens.
"We have a responsibility to do good architecture, as long as it's not architecture that's driving it," he says.
"Churches are community buildings " we don't own them, we are custodians and we have to look at them from a theological perspective, not from a building perspective."
Location, location, location
The Rev Andrew Lim has ministered at the Asian Bible Ministry at St Andrew's Cathedral for almost two years and says meeting in a building which is prolific and attractive is a factor pulling people to church.
"St Andrew's Cathedral is a tourist attraction " there's always people taking photos because it's such a pretty place," he says.
"We get heaps of wedding requests, so there's lots of opportunities there."
"A lot of our Korean friends come in because of the building," he adds of the Asian congregation.
However Mr Lim believes the location of St Andrew's Cathedral (on the corner of George and Bathurst Streets, next to the Town Hall and above one of the busiest train stations in Australia) is more of a plus than the building.
"The prominence of the location is a huge advantage and draw for us," he says.
"But it doesn't matter what shape the building would be, it's the prominence.
"I know people get attached to buildings but at the end of the day it's what happens inside, it's the relationships, the great group of people who helped them to understand who Jesus is, that they'll remember."
