| The Master's Degree Project is a design for a local Lebanese Maronite Catholic Church. The parish is served by a part-time priest and the church operates within the Canadian Catholic Diocese. The design considers the combined influences of: Catholicism, Maronite Lebanese culture, and Canadian regionalism and geography, by considering the unique history of the Catholic Maronite people and the contextual implications of building in Calgary. The architectural program facilitates and meets the needs for Maronite Catholic Mass, religious holiday celebrations, and for parish gatherings.;The project is intended as one possible solution for simple and provident spaces which will contribute to a supportive facility for parish life. The MDP is meant to help the community establish long term goals, to realize some of the general design parameters required, and to consider concomitant roles a church building can embrace. The process entailed: (1) Interviewing parish committee members to establish a relevant architectural programme. (2) Selecting a potential site with consideration given to the general Catholic community, the Maronite Catholic parishioners, and the City of Calgary. (3) Developing a design strategy incorporating the architectural idea of the path as an organizing principle. (4) Calculation of a general cost estimate. The architectural response to the design problem is explored and documented. General consideration is given to site and orientation, simplicity of structure and detail, cost and budgeting, accessibility, and material selection.;The project demonstrates that successful provident spaces can be wrought from thoughtful architectural intention. The project embraces the middle ground between overly designed, overly expensive architecture, and thoughtless mediocre building practices, by adopting thoughtful and moderate design strategies. The design scheme responds to the culture and history of the Middle Eastern parishioners and at the same time embraces a Canadian context, consequently the church design is a blend of old traditions in a new context. |
