New churches are popping up around the country, and around the world, and becoming very creative with their use of space. From futuristic, cutting edge, contemporary new builds, to conversions of warehouses, barns, and office blocks, as well as disused former religious buildings. This new blog series by Alpha Furniture will explore the creative uses of space by other churches, and our design concepts from our existing range of furnishings to match.
First up is the Seashore Chapel, designed by Vector Architects and situated in Beidaihe New District, China. Built on the beach itself, the building is the closest to the shore in the town as the waves wash underneath. Perhaps man can build his house (of God) on the sand after all! Alpha have put together a contemporary design to suit a beachfront (or seafront) church, starting with the contemporary LAMS stacking lightweight wooden chair.
The architecture of the church is minimalist, designed to represent an old boat left on the sand by the receding ocean, and so the LAMS chair provided the perfect foil with its unfussy contemporary design and sleek lines. The wooden frame and back rest also lend themselves to the project, keeping the closeness to nature, and linking nicely with traditional materials for beachfront builds be it summer beach houses or a wooden boardwalk.
Combined with a whitewashed stain treatment, the light colour of the chair further accentuates its lightness in weight, blending to the all-white materials used in the construction of the church. An upholstered seat provides comfort, and draws on the blue surrounds of the horizon as one looks out of the church over the sea. A contrasting orange seat provides an accent, reflecting the adjacent sand, as well as wooden floor and door in the church itself.
The lightweight and high-stacking LAMS chair also lends itself practically to such a project with a relatively small space and limited storage. Stacking up to 18 high on a dolley taking up just over half a square metre, stacks of chairs can be wheeled to one side to open up the space for versatility.
You can explore the various options for the LAMS chair and learn more about our lightweight wooden chairs by clicking here.
For help planning your worship area or hall, please don’t hesitate to call our experienced sales team on 01494 670 600, or email us. Free fabric, wood and metal samples are available on request to help you at your design stage, while sample chairs are also available for a free, no-obligation trial in the majority of cases too.
To see more about the church featured, see more on Vector Architects’ website here.
