Lord of Hosts Church Serves As Culmination of Religious Architecture’s Development

Religious architecture, or sacred architecture, deals with the design of a place of worship. Throughout time, many different cultures and societies have dedicated space and resources to places of worship, resulting in the construction of some of the world’s most notable buildings. Though the core purpose of these buildings has remained the same, the design needs around the architecture is evolving. 

Technological advancements, environmental concerns, changing attitudes towards religion and spirituality are all factors in how architects tackle designing places of worship. These considerations are all made with the one goal to be able to cater to the diverse needs of these communities. 

We had the privilege of sitting down with Brian Rathsam, LEED AP at Mantel Teter to talk about design intent, as well as Mantel Teter’s collaboration with CEI Materials on the Lord of Hosts (LOH) project.

Can you give us a quick synopsis on your firm Mantel Teter and your bio? 

“Since 1961, Mantel Teter Architects, P.C. has provided consulting, architecture and developing service to a wide range of clients with various project types, including houses of worship, learning centers, financial institutions and business environments.  I have personally been with Mantel Teter Architects since June 1, 2000, and am now Vice President of the firm.” 

From a macro standpoint, what are the key things you consider when designing the exterior of a place of worship specifically? 

 “Each of our projects are client specific, and are tailored to the unique character of the churches we work with.  We have designed very traditional facilities that often tie seamlessly into the existing architectural context of the church, and have designed more modern and contemporary houses of worship that speak to the non-denominational churches. These more modern exteriors offer the ability to blend new design styles and contemporary building materials that showcase the forward thinking strategies in the church.” 

What materials do you typically use and why? Is your choice tempered with your design intent? 

“We typically use quite a bit of masonry veneer, synthetic stucco (EIFS) and metal plate wall panels.  Our choices are most often tempered by budget constraints and, what is becoming more frequent, design guidelines put forth by the local municipalities.  Masonry is a durable product that lasts a long time, as are high quality metal plate wall panels.  EIFS is a budget friendly product, so we balance the use of more expensive veneers with a blend of EIFS design.” 

In the case of LOH you used the dimensionally paneled steeple design to add visual prominence to the cross? What is your design intent of using the dimensional panel system with WFC? 

 “We could have used a smooth panel system with either design, however in the case of both churches, since we were using a solid color panel, we wanted the variation in panel depth to provide the shadow effect which gives the façade greater visual prominence as the sun moves throughout the day.  The unique shadow play provides a simple yet effective color and texture change that cannot be attained with a flush panel system.”  

You have now used the system on two different projects, are you intending on using more when desired? What are the design benefits to you? 

"We have had great success with these panels, and the clients have really appreciated the end result.  They offer extensive creativity when combined with other façade materials, and the variations in color, size, texture and depth provide nearly endless options for design.  Most municipalities also include these types of metal wall panel systems in their Class 1 (or A) level of materials, so their use in many cities is supported in that respect.” 

One of the key benefits of CLADLOK is its quickness of installation, did that influence your decision of use? 

 “Honestly, the speed of installation is less of a benefit to us, considering the overall lengthy construction schedule on most of our projects.  I have no doubt the speed of installation affects the overall cost of the work, so the ability to keep costs for the CLADLOK system down allows us to use more of it on our projects.”  

As an Architect, how do you see the exterior and interior working together? Is the design intent the same? 

 “It often can be the same, especially when we work to incorporate traditional exterior building elements into the interior of our spaces.  In many cases, it can be a challenge however, considering the use of our large worship spaces.  These worship spaces are heavily driven by audio, lighting and acoustic desires and expectations, which can limit how we marry the exterior and interior design intents.”