CLIENT: The St. John Armenian Church of Greater Detroit
LOCATION: Southfield, MI
YEAR: 2022-2023
Orignally built in the 1960s, the goal of the St. John Armenian Church church renovation was to modernize the facility with a “heritage meets modern” approach, showcasing the rich history and beauty of Armenian culture. The architects researched the history of Armenian design and symbolism and studied its use in the existing sanctuary. The resulting design creates a sense of belonging for church members, is open and inviting to the public, and addresses the multigenerational needs of the congregation. The materials palette comprises glass, ornate woodwork, marble, stone, brick, rugs and textiles, and gold accents recalling the church’s iconic gold dome. Elongated hexagons are used as a recurring formal motif throughout the building, drawn from the shape’s use in the original woodwork of the sanctuary.
In the spacious lobby, a 26-foot-long panelized mural by an Armenian artist features images of doves, an important Armenian symbol found in the existing altar artwork. Additional height was gained in the lobby by designing triangular acoustical fabric panels between the concrete tee roof structure. Inspired by the sawtooth form of the church’s concrete entry canopy and lit by cove lighting, the ceiling exudes an ethereal glow. The lobby also includes a 31-foot-wide custom area rug by a local Armenian family-owned flooring company which was inspired by an antique rug from the church’s museum. In the banquet hall, a former dropped ceiling in front of the curtain wall was raised to 20 feet to add a significant amount of natural light, and a new ceiling cloud was designed composed of elongated hexagonal coffers with cove lighting that integrates with the sawtooth design of the curtain wall. The hexagon motif also appears in the room’s custom carpet and new custom wood doors. In the existing sanctuary, new LED lighting highlights the architectural features and dramatically illuminates the sanctuary dome.
