Screen: A Masters of Architecture Thesis

While there are many concerns in the design of a building, two primary ideas drove the design of this church, sited at a Christian camping and retreat center in southwest Pennsylvania. The control of light entering the building is realized through a double layer of screens that form the exterior walls of the building and the walls of the sanctuary inside. These screens are the result of rigorous experimentation to maximize daylight and reduce glare in the space. The second main idea is how the overhead plane is treated. Unified as a screen, curvilinear sheets of fabric are lit by openings in the roof to create sinuous bands of light that define the overhead plane and draw the eye upward. When the person enters the sanctuary do they realize how the exterior and interior screens control the sunlight to illuminate a worship space that is flexible enough to both meet the needs of the camp and allow for future evolution of the liturgy.