City Life Church

City Life Church, Portsmouth (United Kingdom) 2015

University of Portsmouth

The aim of this 4-day ‘Field Trip’ was to look at the development and extension of City Life Church in Portsmouth, and meet its growing demand for space and need for modernisation.

A group of around 40 BA1 Architecture and Interior Architecture and Design students faced the challenge of working on a ‘live’ project with a ‘real’ client for first time.

Students were divided into smaller groups and each group was assigned a theme which they had to explore and develop. The themes included ‘Bridge of Hope’ where the focus was on a glass wrap around seeking a more ‘transparent’ and ‘modern’ look; side extension with children’s soft play area; developing the current foyer, stairwell and main auditorium so that they appear more contemporary and welcoming; working on a storage solution with future expansions in mind.

The initial stage of the project was a close collaboration between students and the Client which included a site visit and a short group ‘Question and Answer’ sessions interrogating existing ‘Problems’ and possible ‘Solutions’ regarding the building and the surrounding site. Following that, students worked in their groups towards a presentation, aspirational collage and white card models, in order to illustrate their design proposals. On the final day each group presented formally in front of the Client and stakeholders, which was followed by a fruitful discussion.

Client: Pastor Dan Harman, City Life Church

Tutors: Martin Andrews, Emma Dalton, Lynne Mesher, Roberto Braglia, Plamena Gamzova

Students: 40 Students from Undergraduate Architecture and Interior Architecture and Design courses

Research Question: How can we make City Life Church a more open, transparent and welcoming community hub that connects with and entice in those passing by and facilitates future expansions? How can we maximize the storage space within City Life Church with future congregational and staffing growth in mind? How can we make City Life Church have a more creative, contemporary and welcoming visual appeal?

Links: University of Portsmouth Project Office

United Kingdom, Architecture, Days, Self-funded, 11-50, Undergraduate, Analytical, Commissioned, Propositional, Extra-curricular, Students with tutor, Portsmouth Univ.