Worship services at the Church at Canyon Creek in Austin, Texas include uplifting contemporary music, inspirational drama and video that is sometimes poignant, sometimes humorous. When the church relocated to its new 21 acre campus, they wanted a worship center in which the spoken word, music, drama and video could be powerfully presented and received.

The most important design directive from the church was that there be a strong sense of connectivity in the room.

Connectivity in the room is achieved both visually and aurally. The projection of the platform into the seating area brings the speaker closer to the congregation, then the seats are focused on that position to enhance the connecting point. In addition, the curve of the seats gives each worshipper a sense of the people around them connecting them to all of the other worshippers. The acoustics are designed so that people can hear themselves and those around them.

Seating blocks allow the room to be scaled down visually.

For smaller meetings, the lighting is dimmed at the back to place the focus on the floor seating sections only. The baptistery is blended into the stone work to the left of the platform. Lighting can bring focus to it, or make it “disappear.” The seating layout also allows for an integrated technical booth which does not obstruct sightlines.

Acoustically, we wanted a reflective surface on the ceiling. The architect used that design specification to create beautiful wooden “clouds.” The clouds contribute to the overall aesthetic and provide acoustic reflection while concealing the Unistrut catwalks. There is a drop ceiling over the platform to provide reflections to the musicians.

Preaching needed to be heard with warmth and intimacy while the strong music program needed audio systems that provide a sense of envelopment conducive to worship.

The alternating left-right loudspeaker system provides effective stereo coverage in the semi-fan shaped room while meeting the goals for speech.

Video projection is in 16:9 format and image-magnification video (IMAG) assists with the connection in the room by giving worshippers the ability to see the expression on the faces of the people on the platform.

“You feel surrounded a lot more than I’ve ever experienced before in a church,” says member, Patti Maddox. “The fact that the front seats are lower than the back seats give you have a sense of people worshipping behind you. “

This first phase of construction included two of the six buildings planned for the site. A covered walkway serves as the main link between buildings and serves as an “open arms welcome” to those passing on Texas Highway 620.

Future buildings will include another two-story Educational Building, a Youth/Recreation/Fellowship Building, an Administrative Office Building, and a small devotional Chapel.