Situated on an active arterial corner in East Vancouver, the Vancouver Chinese Evangelical Free Church stands as a beckoning beacon in an otherwise unassuming neighborhood. Masonry tower components anchor the church around a tranquil central courtyard. The sanctuary serves as the spiritual heart for worship and fellowship. A processional transition leads to a place of peace, communion, and contemplation, providing a space for the practice of faith. Natural light flows from above, casting a cruciform of blinding light onto the white-washed walls of a soaring baptistery space.
Vancouver Chinese Evangelical Free Church
Vancouver, BC
Vancouver Chinese Evangelical Free Church
2009
3,000 m2
![.](/img/containers/assets/VCEE-front.jpg/38ad2150189471dab7ee33deb5ce43b0.jpg)
approach
sustainability
LEED Silver equivalent
awards & recognition
2004
Canadian Award of Excellence
![.](/img/containers/assets/VCEE-door-2.jpg/a10626f7dd24820460a456860f67e0cd.jpg)
entrance
The need to combine a complex human program on a tight urban property produces a compact form carved out and articulated to create a meaningful progression from the profane to the sacred.
Canadian Architect Awards
![.](/img/containers/assets/VCEE-stairs.jpg/4c6ef92edba2e0f4f83b2005ef7ab954.jpg)
lobby
![.](/img/containers/assets/VCEE-corridor.jpg/79412f9248cd929c4fbee218562f2059.jpg)
lobby
![.](/img/containers/assets/VCEEE-sanctuary.jpg/69b1254a4b767bcdfd374ca23c7e8941.jpg)
sanctuary
![.](/img/containers/assets/VCEE-sanctuary-1.jpg/1956f035548b69c3c1d92c13fae98df4.jpg)
pew detail
sustainability
LEED Silver equivalent
awards & recognition
2004
Canadian Award of Excellence
![.](/img/containers/assets/VCEE-processional-hallway.jpg/7ca6362f62cb49ddd2b9249ce09df1c4.jpg)
baptismal procession
![.](/img/containers/assets/VCEE-baptistery-01.jpg/942a51802d81f1d0c177cd5af1f9c0dd.jpg)
baptism pool
![.](/img/containers/assets/VCE-baptistery-SIDEWAYS-03.jpg/5755970e1e280b7f8ff410acd558d4b6.jpg)
cruciform cast light
![.](/img/containers/assets/VCE-processional-hallway---sanctuary-beyond-1662507475.jpg/935527aa66683740a62e9a68271651f6.jpg)
baptismal witness
courtyard bridge
![.](/img/containers/assets/work/VCE-2560x1440-web-banners4.jpg/70cf9ede176929dfa7621c31781c385e.jpg)
courtyard bridge
![.](/img/containers/assets/VCEE-courtyard.jpg/a7f23ec2ce7d75dd31a3dea34405539e.jpg)
outer courtyard
In pursuing a goal of reconciling a place of worship to its streetwise context, the project walks a carefully measured line between providing a mannered assembly of didactic spaces with a sober and robust urban enclave.
Canadian Architect Awards