Church + Design

Architecture is a social art,” he said. “And as a social art, it is our social responsibility to make sure that we are delivering architecture that meets not only functional and creature comforts, but also spiritual comfort.” (Samuel Mockbee)

Samuel “Sambo” Mockbee (12/23/1944 – 12/30/2001) dedicated his life, as a teacher and as an architect, to creating architecture that not only elevated the living standards of the rural poor but also provided “shelter for the soul.” (http://samuelmockbee.net/about/)

+ Access: Part 1

As of this year, the Government of Ontario has enacted the second phase of legislation which is working towards making Ontario a more accessible place to live. The Accessibility Standard for Customer Service (Ontario Regulation 429/07) is the standard that all organizations (public, private and non-profit), who provide goods or services, either directly to the public or to other organizations in Ontario, with one or more employees, must comply with. Since this standard applies to our company, our staff and management team joined together in late 2011 in a self-directed session to review our policies and commit to making our business more accessible. The next phase of legislation is proposing to modify the current building codes to include improved aspects of accessible design.

I am pleased to say, accessibility has been on our minds well before this legislation, and we are encouraged to see it set in place for years to come. We have had the privilege of working with many churches to either improve their existing conditions with a barrier-free retrofit or plan for accessibility in a new building project. We are asked to solve many functional issues - inevitably barrier-free access is one of them. It is a critical design element of any church facility. We address questions such as: Is there a clear arrangement of spaces enabling barrier-free access to all parts of the building. Is signage aiding in this communication? Is barrier-free access being designed in a creative manner allowing for a dignified path of travel or is there an afterthought approach being taken which may result in an awkward sequence of spaces?

Without a doubt, our goal for each project is to see that it is not just well designed and easily accessed, but well designed and easily accessed by all.

+Wes

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, 2005

http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/source/regs/english/2011/elaws_src_regs_r11191_e.htm

Accessibility Standard for Customer Service

http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/regs/english/elaws_regs_070429_e.htm

ACCESSIBILITY ASSESSMENT & PLANNING,

Dickinson + Hicks Architects (website)

http://dickinson-hicks.com/services.php

+ Ain’t it grand?

Pioneers Canada opens its new head office in Dorchester, Ontario.

(image from http://www.letusgo.ca/)

+ This Saturday marks another milestone that inevitably comes with all buildings we design - the official “grand opening”.

For some, the “grand opening” is merely the moment the contractor hands over the keys and the owner enters a freshly completed building ready for occupancy. For others it is an ad in the local newspaper, an announcement in a church bulletin or a 30 second spot on the evening radio news. The most rewarding for us, however, is the “grand opening” that encompasses so much more - a cutting of the ribbon, invitations to guests (distinguished or otherwise), photo ops, and, if we are lucky, cake - decorated to look like the new building, of course.

This type of grand opening is the “big show” in the life of an architect. It is the day to relax and reminisce over the weeks, months and, more often than not, years of sketching, concepts, meetings, site visits, drawings, miles of travelling, and countless hours of rethinking. It all culminates into one symbolic completion - a celebration of the end, for Dickinson + Hicks, and of the beginning, for the client. It is a passing of the torch, one could say. Despite the fanfare and felicitation occurring at these events, our enjoyment lies most in the excitement and pride we see in our clients as they embrace their new facility. With our church clients we have the honour to celebrate God’s provision of a new building and witness their enthusiasm as the vision for its use begins to unfold and the possibilities realized.

Needless to say, my hope for this Saturday and this “grand opening” is that once again, there is excitement, anticipation, and most importantly, cake.

+ Wes

Church + Design

After several months of deliberating and wondering how to share our thoughts outside the walls of our small town architectural office, we realized what we needed most was a blog (and not just because everyone is doing it either). Here’s why:

We happen to know that architects look at the world differently…you might just be interested in seeing how.
Great design requires us to be inspired, so why not share the things that inspire us.
Over our 30 year history we have learned many lessons that you need to know about.
We have a strong knowledge base of building construction and technology - to keep it to ourselves would be down right selfish.
and, hey, buildings affect everyone, including you.

So, if you would like to step inside the head of an architect (or three), then follow along with us on a journey that will prove to be thought-provoking, potentially mind-numbing, and hopefully inspiring.