Location: Henderson, Nevada
Capacity: 225 seats
Area: 6,700 sf
Construction: Wood framing, turned-down concrete slab, built-up roof, with parapets, interior concrete columns, stucco and vinyl, lap siding.
Construction cost: $650,000
Date of completion: 1992
Background
Christ the Servant Lutheran Church is unique in its reference to the four gospels, or the four concrete columns supporting a pyramid, known for its stability. The community is a missionary community, a true pioneer, arising out of the savage and moonlike environment of the desert on the outskirts of Las Vegas.
But like all cities, neighborhoods soon grew up around and the Lutheran community grew fast. The interior of this small and intimate space is graced with glow of natural daylight down the wall and up to the pyramid ceiling from a “necklace of light” an invisible, continuous skylight around the perimeter of the pyramid. A figure of Christ, crucified stands in front of a southwestern scene of receding mesas, painted by members of the community. It is an intimate scene.
Project Images
About the Design
The building enters from the parking lot along a path, that turns directly in front of the purple, wide-flange steel cross standing tall in front. From there you pass through the arcade and into a large gathering space with access to the offices to the left and rest rooms, kitchen galley and classrooms to the right. The worship space, pyramidal ceiling, seen through full-height glass, is supported by four large diameter concrete columns. The edge of the 36’ square pyramid is 3’ inside the outer walls of the room on all four sides to admit light from a “necklace of light” around the edge of the pyramid, indirect sunlight shines down the wall and also reflects from a horizontal baffle to illuminate the ceiling. Because of budget constraints, the four 8-inch diameter plexi-glass cylinders, designed to penetrate the roof/ceiling to bring natural light into the space as a symbol of the four evangelists, were not installed. On the back wall is a painted abstraction of the desert scene, of which the lower portion is a wood wainscot, with a backlit, cut-out outline of the Crucified Jesus (designed by the architect). A processional cross is placed in front to complete the picture.
There is much color and life in this room. The altar table and ambo (design by the architect) made from Mahogany and oak, the carpet, people, seating fabrics, the colorful vestments and natural light contribute to an uplifting environment. It is a space filled with joyful, unglaring light.
To the right as you enter is a large window, showing a view of a small garden, enclosed on the other sides by an arcade along a bank of classrooms. To the left was a small fellowship hall with a kitchen behind the offices. The wall between the Worship space and Fellowship Hall was moveable for larger group gatherings.
An exterior photo portrays the building before site development and the contrast with the pebbly desert floor. An Architect’s tour’ of the progress of construction is included in this presentation.
