The design solution for this thesis seemed to present more than the usual amount of difficulty. The first and one of the most difficult problems was of course the ever present enigma of designing a contemporary church which would "look like a churchâ. The author has never felt that a cross attached to the outside is sufficient to designate a building as a church. It seems also to be an expensive way of admitting defeat to resort to a romantic recall solution for appeal: to build arches which are hung from steel; to filing buttresses into the sky when the building is tied together with a rigid frame; to hang a stone veneer on a steel column. The question resolves into one obtaining through character and proportion and with simple materials and simple masses a tone of dignity or inspiration. In this solution the author has tried to use the structure as a visual feature; to use romantic recall only insofar as it honestly' serves a purpose. The exposed rigid frames (usually hidden) are to the modern church what the ribbed vault was to the gothic. The author believes that if they have looked cold at times it has too often been the fault of proportion or workmanship and not material or idea.
The second major problem was that of relationships of the various parts. The problem of grouping the different elements so that worship, educational and social functions of the building best served the needs of the church was not an easy one. The author has chosen to express a "sanctuary in space" around which the essential elements could be wrapped to exclude the workaday world.
The third and most difficult problem was the arrangement of the chancel. This area has seldom been solved successfully due primarily to economic considerations, and yet to save money at this, the focal point of the whole church plant, seems a false economy indeed. The semi-circular solution used in this thesis appears to answer all of the functional requirements in a satisfactory manner while at the same time giving a sense of depth to this important area. Majesty and reverence should be expressed in the Protestant Church and these qualities should not be confused with the undesired qualities of pomp, ceremony or unattainability.
The remainder of the design of the church involved mainly space and circulation problems. The materials have been kept simple for the sake of the economy.
Although the problem has been very complex, and was undertaken under difficult working conditions (working in absentia) the author feels that he has profited greatly by this exercise. It is his hope that by having gone through this additional period of study something has been gained which will allow him to do more credible work in his profession, for it is the unknown and unacclaimed men working silently who will do most to raise the general level of architecture. / Master of Science
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/76116 |
Date | January 1956 |
Creators | Conley, Kenneth S. |
Contributors | Architecture |
Publisher | Virginia Polytechnic Institute |
Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
Language | en_US |
Detected Language | English |
Type | Thesis, Text |
Format | 107 leaves, application/pdf, application/pdf |
Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
Relation | OCLC# 25851188 |
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