$700 Million Building Boom In Today's 'Modern' Churches 0f Major Wood Construction

AN INVITING WEICOME is spoken by gloss front, friendly plyon ond fower boxes of Monriclair ltlethodist church, Oaklcnd, Colif. (rop left); porobolic wood orches extend floor-lo-f,ool in groceful sweep cnd qre Gnirhed like the solid wood decking on roof to reloin nolurol groin ond beoufy of the wood. "Shop-grown" timbers (center) ore being wropped for shipmenl ot o timber fobriccting plont; ordinary thicknesses of lumber ore glued togefher in size or shope required by church qrchitect, Glued lominoted wood orches of Zion Lufherqn church, Poillond, Ore. (lower photo) ore free stonding; wood plcnk ceiling ond light reflec through choncel.

materials that have freed church construction from cumbersome, costly building methods of the past.

These highlights of today's "rise of the churches" are reported by the National Lumber Manufacturers Association on the basis of government, church and industry data.

"It is not surprising that churches should be in the forefront of modern design," Leo V. Bodine, executive vicepresident of the lumber association, said. "New building techniques from which great styles of architecture stemmed 'ivere often first developed in church construction. The periods of greatest religious vitality brought new ways of using materials and new forms of structure.

"Church authorities describe religious architecture as being'in ferment'today, and generally they welcome it as fresh expression of man's traditional desire to put his creative best into houses of worship."

Even in the boldest contemporary design, churches still look like ,churches, Bodine pointed out.

"There is still the soaring roof or spire, expressing aspiration and exaltation," he said. "There is r'vood and glass for interplay of light and warm color. The pews are more form-fitting but still made of wood because wood pews have a warm sculptural effect that prevents even an empty church from appearing cold and drab.

"With the passing of ornate decoration, architects are using wood and glass more than ever before to achieve simplicity without barrenness," Bodine said.

"There has been a renaissance in both these fields," he declared. "Wood arches and beams are now factory-made in any shape or size desired by the architect. Design possibilities are almost unlimited. Engineered wood arches norv provide the towering impact of a vaulted cathedral, fit the design of a small chapel, or span a space large enough to seat thousands without support posts."

"Sculpture in Structure"

Americans are building $200 million worth of churches this year for an all-time record in both dollar and physical volume.

An estimated one-fourth are outright modern in design. Another fourth, it is estimated, follow past styles. In between, representing perhaps half of all churches being built, are structures that preserve traditional effects in simplified contemporary forms.

Three out of four new churches have roofs of engineered timber construction, usually {eaturing glued laminated wood-one of the 20th centurv develooments in structural

Church architects are developing "sculpture in structure" effects never before possible, the lumber spokesman said. Complicated networks of framing members are eliminated. The architect can design with clean lines and utilize the integrity, beauty and proportion of the material itself 'r,r,ithout resort to expensive added-on decoration.

Along with this exposed structure, there are modern treatments of wood paneling, with both paneling and the patterns of stained glass windows carrying out luminous color effects, often in abstract design.

The contemporary trend is becoming more apparent each vear, according to C. Harry Atkinson of New York, execu(Continued on Page 58)