Fraser Lands Church

  • Category: Community
  • Address: 3330 S.E. Marine Drive, Vancouver
  • Date: under construction 2021

The 14,000 sq. ft. addition allows the Fraser Lands Church to extend the range of programs and events to accommodate the increasing number of families, children and youth in the congregation. It includes a large multipurpose room, centrally located kitchen and flexible use meeting and classrooms. The addition is built on top of an existing parkade that anticipated a future fan-shaped addition above. The fan shape did not allow for efficient and useful space planning. The challenge was to design a new addition with efficient and welcoming spaces that met the needs of the congregation while working with the existing structure of the parkade.

The addition overlooks an adjacent park and the massing of the building was broken into two blocks to minimize impact on the park. The location of the windows and doors improved the connection between the park and the building.

Extended stakeholder consultation and observations of the current operation of the church were part of the planning process. The addition provides generous circulation spaces which is much needed on Sunday when three congregations (English, Cantonese & Mandarin) of approximately 600 people rotate through the sanctuary and then to fellowship activities in the rest of the building. On quieter days the circulation provides informal gathering spaces. Durable materials that instill a sense of warmth were selected to respond to the multi-purpose functions of the new spaces.

Passive cooling strategies were developed for the gymnasium to minimize the cooling load. Highly efficient heating and cooling systems addressed sustainability and the limited availability of electrical power.

Plans for minimizing demolition waste and reducing the impact to the existing building during construction were incorporated into the design process. With the development of the River District in south Vancouver, the expanded Fraser Lands Church is poised to become an important community building serving the area. The addition is currently under construction with completion anticipated in 2021.

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