In Floda, Sweden, the Equmenia Church is a modern gathering space with a welcoming atmosphere that responds to the local urban context. Designed to accommodate its 300 members, the new building by Kaminsky Arkitektur also functions as a conference and lecture hall and is further attached to Garveriet, a mixed-use building with a popular sustainable restaurant and bakery.
The large church hall is carefully designed acoustically using timber elements to achieve a healthy and comfortable indoor climate. Furthermore, wood is a sustainable choice as a building material due to its low carbon footprint and durability.
‘Wood has been an important material throughout the project, externally the different dimensions of the façade help to keep the scale down on the building, while the interior contributes to good acoustics and a warm atmosphere,’ says Joakim Kaminsky, architect at Kaminsky Arkitektur.
James Silverman & Jan Töve
The main interior lining is plywood, which is employed to create wooden slats for an acoustic wall and suspended ceiling with checkerboard patterns. The selection of plywood also facilitated the parishioners to build and fit-out many parts of the interior themselves.
The furnishing concept for the church likewise takes a sustainable approach with all elements made of materials that can be recycled – in this case predominantly wood. Most of the interior elements were designed by Andreas Sture, including the baptismal fonts, chairs, fixtures and lighting.
The area surrounding the church and Garveriet includes a playground and planting beds, developed together with MARELD Landskaparkitekter.
