9/7/2019 Place of Worship | WBDG - Whole Building Design Guide

Place Of Worship  
BOOKMARK (/FLAG/FLAG/BOOKMARKS/372?
DESTINATION=NODE/372&TOKEN=NSAMW3RQTR4PFSYNWDBSIASO65N5PTCIT815Z-EI4YO)
 
by Sophia Greenbaum, WBDG Staff
Updated: 05-09-2016

OVERVIEW
The Place of Worship described here is a location reserved for
private devotion, prayer, or meditation, small services, and WITHIN THIS PAGE
counseling services. It is usually found within a larger institution Overview
such as a hospital, airport, or prison and is not a stand-alone Space Attributes
building. The space type includes the major and minor assembly Relevant Codes and Standards
spaces used for interfaith worship, storage space for liturgical Additional Resources
furnishings, and any other support spaces including counseling
rooms or administrative of ces.

SPACE ATTRIBUTES
A nonsectarian, nondenominational ambience is required in places of
worship that serve visitors, staff, and other users of public
institutions. Liturgical furnishings and representative art can be
supplied, but must be moveable to accommodate all users, cultures,
and religions. At the same time, the architectural qualities which
imply a religious or spiritual intention, including light, color, and
higher than conventional vertical spaces, should be also provided and
celebrated. Because the place of worship is often a contemplative
space, it should be gracious, hospitable, and digni ed. Typical features A ag presentation was held during the
of Place of Worship space types include the list of applicable design dedication ceremony of new stained glass
window at the Pentagon Chapel on
objectives elements as outlined below. For a complete list and
September 11, 2003. The new windows
de nitions of the design objectives within the context of whole
in the Chapel are dedicated to the
building design, click on the titles below. memory of those who died in the
Pentagon on September 11, 2001.
Photo Credit: (DoD) Tech. Sgt. Andy
Accessible (/Design-Objectives/Accessible) Dunaway, U.S. Air Force

Accessible Seating: Approximately 15 percent of seating 

supplied in places of worship within hospitals should be removable and reserved for wheelchairs

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and gurneys.

Aesthetics (/Design-Objectives/Aesthetics)
Character: Utilize appropriate nishes, furniture, signage, and art to re ect the public nature of the
space. See also WBDG Style (/resources/style).

Verticality: Highlight or soften the verticality of the space by delineating horizontal bands with
windows, lighting, and wall coverings. A spatial compression/release experience can enhance the
aesthetic experience.

Lighting: According to the Department of Defense's UFC 4-740-02N Navy and Marine Corps Fitness
Centers (/ffc/dod/uni ed-facilities-criteria-ufc/fc-4-740-02n), good places of worship may be dimly
lit like medieval buildings or brightly lit like Christopher Wren's churches. The light may be ltered
through colored glass or come through clear glass. Colored glass may supply an exotic character, but
clear glass brings a consciousness of the surrounding world. The important thing to remember is
that no factor in the design of a place of worship is more important than the nature of its light.
Designers should be not be limited by stereotypes.

Transition: Provide an entry space in order to allow visitors to transition from a busy institutional
environment to a calmer, warmer, and more welcoming one.

Glazing: Include glazing system materials or detailing that emits natural light, but prevents glare and
light re ection. Consider using clerestory windows to let natural light into the space when desirable
views are not available or when available views are considered to distracting.

Functional / Operational (/Design-Objectives/Functional-

Operational)
Location and Adjacencies: Preferred locations for places of worship are those readily accessible to
primary users (i.e. patients if the place of worship is located in a hospital) and at high traf c
locations. Sound control is to be considered, as well as visual privacy.

Furnishings and Equipment: Liturgical furnishings should be portable and minimal. A platform is not
usually needed within a small place of worship. An altar/table as small as 36 inches should be
suf cient in most cases. Focal symbols (i.e. a cruci x or a menorah) may be limited and moveable in
order to accommodate users and their differing beliefs. A piano or small electric organ may be
appropriate. Provisions should be made for devotional literature of various types. A sign board for
identifying the place of worship and for announcement of service times is recommended.

Seating: General seating should be in movable chairs. In planning the seating, a module of 20 inches,
shoulder to shoulder, and 36 inches, back to back, is proper. Row lengths and aisle widths must
follow requirements of NFPA 101 (http://www.nfpa.org/aboutthecodes/AboutTheCodes.asp?
DocNum=101). Keep in mind that cushioned seats may be preferred as they are sound absorptive
when no one is sitting in them.

Administrator's Of ces: Administrator's Of ces should be located in an easy-to- nd location. In

smaller places of worship, this implies a location near the main entrance. These of ces are used for
study, administrative work, counseling individuals and couples and sometimes families, and for
some staff meetings. The typical "business-like" quality of a commercial of ce is to be avoided in
favor of a more humane or domestic ambience. When these rooms must be sound isolated for 
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privacy partitions must be full height, sound traps may be required in ductwork, and sound seals
should be provided at doors. See also WBDG Of ce space type (/space-types/of ce).

Storage: A storage space should be provided for liturgical objects that are faith-speci c. Such a
space is key if worship spaces are to be adaptable. Items that may be stored include extra chairs,
liturgical furnishings, large banners or other symbolic or decorative devices, statuary, prayer books
for special occasions, seasonal decorations, prayer rugs, and religious garments.

Productive (/Design-Objectives/Productive)
Plan for Flexibility: The Place of Worship is generally a single volume of basically simple geometry.
Design features such as dominating axialities, implied focus, hierarchical progressions of space or
imperious bisymmetry should be avoided because these features limit exibility of arrangements
and use. To promote exibility, seating may be interlocking and stackable, but also comfortable and
attractive.

Acoustics: If the space will be used for formal meetings or religious services, study its acoustic
properties and include sound absorptive materials as the program requires. An electronic speaker
system should not be necessary in most small places of worship if proper consideration is given to
room shapes and surfaces.

Audiovisual Equipment in Hospital Facilities: In some facilities, an electronic sound and video system
is necessary so that the sound may be enhanced for the hearing impaired and so that the events of
services can be transmitted to bedside television sets. See also WBDG Productive—Integrate
Technological Tools (/design-objectives/productive/integrate-technological-tools).

Special Lighting: Establish lighting zones at the beginning of the design process. Differentiate
between the lighting needs for private re ection spaces, counseling spaces, storage spaces and
support of ces. Consider energy ef cient lighting (/resources/energy-ef cient-lighting).

Comfort: Specify HVAC equipment that will ensure a comfortable and reliable temperature. For
more information see WBDG High Performance HVAC (/design-disciplines/hvac-refrigerating-
engineering?r=<?=$page; ?>). Air and motor sounds in ventilating systems should be reduced
aggressively by duct lining, bends, sound traps and velocity control. See also WBDG Productive—
Provide Comfortable Environments (/design-objectives/productive/provide-comfortable-
environments).

Secure / Safe (/Design-Objectives/Secure-Safe)

Control: Because full staff is not present after working hours, elements of the space that are not
open for use should be subject to locking off, including storage space and of ces. Keep in mind that
places of worship in many facilities are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Sustainable (/Design-Objectives/Sustainable)
Daylighting: For places of worship spaces at the exterior of a building, utilize daylighting
(/resources/daylighting) to reduce electric lighting needs. If suf cient daylight is provided so that
arti cial lighting is not required during daylight hours, an advantage is gained, but large areas of
glass, even when triple glazed, are expensive in terms of the energy used. Skylights can distribute
light well and do no leak if carefully detailed. 
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Example Program
The following is a representative building program for the Place of Worship space type.

PLACE OF WORSHIP

DESCRIPTION QTY. SF EACH SPACE REQ'D. SUM ACTUAL SF

TENANT OCCUPIABLE AREAS

Place of Worship Facilities       2,280 / 25,550

    Principal Chapel 1 1,200 1,200  

    Storage Related 1 140 140  

    Administrator's Of ce 1 250 250  

    Staff Of ce Space 1/2 270 / 540 270 / 540  

    Corridors, toilets, service, and — 420 420  

    other unassignable areas

         

    Tenant Suite     2,280 / 25,550 2,280 / 25,550

         

Tenant Usable Areas        

Example Plans
The following diagram is representative of typical tenant plans for assembly spaces within the place of
worship.

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RELEVANT CODES AND STANDARDS

The following agencies and organizations have developed codes and standards affecting the design of
places of worship. Note that the codes and standards are minimum requirements. Architects, engineers,
and consultants should consider exceeding the applicable requirements whenever possible.

DOD, UFC 4-740-02N Navy and Marine Corps Fitness Centers (/ffc/dod/uni ed-facilities-criteria-
ufc/fc-4-740-02n)
GSA PBS-P100 Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service (/ffc/gsa/criteria/pbs-p100)
International Building Code (http://www.iccsafe.org/codes-tech-support/codes/2015-i-codes/ibc/)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
WBDG
BUILDING TYPES
Community Services (/building-types/community-services), Federal Courthouse (/building-types/federal-
courthouse-1), Health Care Facility (/building-types/health-care-facilities), Land Port of Entry (/building-
types/land-port-entry-1), Government Laboratory (/building-types/research-facilities/government- 
laboratory)

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DESIGN OBJECTIVES
Accessible—Provide Equal Access and Flexibility (/design-objectives/accessible/provide-equal-access-
exibility), Aesthetics—Understanding the Language and Elements of Design (/design-
objectives/aesthetics/understanding-language-elements-design), Functional / Operational—Account for
Functional Needs (/design-objectives/functional-operational/account-functional-needs), Productive—
Promote Health and Well-Being (/design-objectives/productive/promote-health-well-being), Productive
—Provide Comfortable Environments (/design-objectives/productive/provide-comfortable-
environments)

Others
Building Research Information Knowledgebase (http://www.brikbase.org/research-type/religious-
facilities) (BRIK)—an interactive portal offering online access to peer-reviewed research projects
and case studies in all facets of building, from predesign, design, and construction through
occupancy and reuse.

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