Located on an active arterial corner in East Vancouver, the Vancouver Chinese Evangelical Free Church is a beckoning beacon in an otherwise unassuming neighbourhood. Masonry tower components anchor the church around a quiet central courtyard. The sanctuary is the spiritual heart for worship and fellowship. A processional transition leads to a place of peace, communion and contemplation where one can practice their 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

approach
sustainability
LEED Silver equivalent
awards & recognition
2004
Canadian Award of Excellence

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

lobby

lobby

sanctuary

pew detail
sustainability
LEED Silver equivalent
awards & recognition
2004
Canadian Award of Excellence

baptismal procession

baptism pool

cruciform cast light

baptismal witness
courtyard bridge

courtyard bridge

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