Contemporary Church

The new Christian Revival Church (CRC) in Fourways has been designed to accommodate services of up to 6 000 people. The church required a new, bigger flagship premises, which could also provide the model for future churches throughout the country. The design team, led by DBM Architects’ Wynand du Plessis, found themselves working on a scale reminiscent of a stadium, but at the same time had to create a building with a welcoming, homely atmosphere.

First and foremost, CRC required a world-class auditorium able to accommodate its large community including a children’s church and youth centre, plus facilities for recording and broadcasting sermons. The building also needed to include an administrative wing.

On the staircase towards the children’s church, various aesthetic and structural challenges were solved with a unique support ring that introduces a fun feature to the architectural language of the church design

In addition to the open-air parking, an 8 000 metre square parking facility was required to accommodate more than 1 100 cars on a restricted site.

The site for the building is on a prominent corner along the main artery of Witkoppen Road, visible from all directions of travel. Its public face was designed to have a landmark quality, while being clearly legible and transparent to the public. The architects’ solution was to isolate and celebrate certain elements of the building. The triple-volume glass façade is open, transparent and welcoming. It allows southern light to flood into the entrance atrium and main public space while it offers visually arresting views from the inside. One of the building’s most visually (and structurally) impressive features is the spiral ramp that connects all four levels of the building, including the basement parking, and provides safe and comfortable vertical access for all users, including those in wheelchairs.

The spiral staircase, one of the features designed with Fortem Consulting Engineers, is suspended from the roof with a slab and beam system.

Fortem Consulting engineers, led by Hans Koorn, was responsible for the design and execution of this and a number of other key features of the building. The spiral staircase is suspended from the roof with a clever slab and beam system.

The triple-volume entrance atrium, which is a gathering and circulation space with lounges and a coffee shop, is bookended at the one end with a concrete staircase that also includes one of Fortem’s impressive feats of engineering: a support ring that solved the architects’ aesthetic requirements and provides a unique feature that introduces a fun element on the side where the children’s church is located. It replaces the reinforced concrete columns that initially extended from the first landing to the second landing.

The triple-volume entrance atrium creates an impressive arrival and gathering area at the entrance of the building. The roof structure is made up of curved triangular ‘Toblerone’ main support structures with varying spans.

The auditorium itself is home to a 14-metre cantilevered balcony. This precast structure supports the top level without a single column obscuring views of the stage. The auditorium roof structure looks simple at first glance, until one realises that it is made up of curved triangular “Toblerone” main support structures with varying spans. Seven Toblerone trusses span an opening of 68 metres and are made from circular tubular sections of varying diameters and wall thicknesses to match the varying spans.

While the building was being constructed, the architects were so impressed with the quality of the concrete casting that they cut back on ceiling and bulkheads to celebrate the concrete, which was left unfinished. That, together with the steel of the roof structure and the glass, gave the building its modern industrial aesthetic. Details in timber and rock introduce warmth and texture in an otherwise minimalist and uncluttered space.

The top level of the 6 000-seater auditorium is dramatically cantilevered, extending 14 metres without a single column.

The new CRC premises is not only a venue for services and the church headquarters, but supports the CRC’s broader vision by catalysing various community upliftment projects. Already, a soccer field for the community has been created. There are also further secondary facilities being built to enhance community upliftment and create opportunities for community members while many temporary and permanent job opportunities were created.

The triple-volume glass façade presents an impressive but transparent and inviting impression, in keeping with the character of the CRC.