“They shall make me a sanctuary, and I will dwell among them. You must make the
tabernacle and all its furnishings following the plan that I am showing you.”
Exodus 25:8-10
You cannot ask for more-divine inspiration for a building design than specifications delivered from the mouth of God. In Exodus, the divine architect dictates these plans for the Tabernacle to Moses on Mount Sinai. The Tabernacle, or “residence” or “dwelling place,” was a portable worship facility for the Hebrews during the Exodus from Egypt to the time of the conquering of the land of Canaan. The Tabernacle’s most precious possession was the Ark of the Covenant.
God’s specifications for this meeting tent were quite specific, down to the cubit. The purpose of this passage and the Tabernacle, according to scholars, is to establish God’s presence with people whom God has covenanted.
Architectural firm Erdy McHenry Architecture LLC, Philadelphia, drew upon the tent concept and the vision of creating a connection with God when designing the Jackson, N.J.-based St. Aloysius Church.
The lead architects, David S. McHenry and Scott Erdy, also wanted to incorporate the life and teachings of the church’s patron saint, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, into the structure. Specifically, St. Aloysius, who died in 1591, has four devotions-to the Blessed Sacrament, Passion of Our Lord, Love of Our Lady and Choir of Angels. Metaphorically, the four devotions are the four pegs that anchor the tent of St. Aloysius Church.
“The roof is drawn from Old Testament references to pitching of the tent as a place for worship and New Testament revival references to repitching the tent,” McHenry said. “We also researched the life and devotions of the patron saint, St. Aloysius Gonzaga.”
Where McHenry and Erdy strayed from traditional inspiration is in material selection. The tent of St. Aloysius Church is fabricated from standingseam metal panels manufactured by Englert Inc., Perth Amboy, N.J. And the architects didn’t stop there. They decided to design the roof as a hyperbolic paraboloid.
“The hyperbolic paraboloid roof is used most often as an inexpensive solution to long-span roof requirements,” McHenry explained. “As such, it is used for utilitarian purposes, such as sports arenas and athletic facilities. We were enamored with the elegance of its form and fluid lines consistent with those that one might expect to see in a fabric tent.”
Design Awards judge Bruce Lynch said: “Landmark use of metal as a roofing material. The designer was able to leverage the flexibility of the material to create a truly unique structure. The work associated with the installation of this roof is evident in the end result.”
Another judge, Ron McKenzie, added: “Spectacular creative design combined with the use of the standing-seam hyperbolic roof structure. Any other roofing material would not have worked. The elegant flying form develops inspiration in this carefully detailed building.”
The architects chose Englert Series 1300, 17-inch (432-mm), 24-gauge standing-seam panels for the roofing material. A light coating color was selected to reduce the heat island effect. Although the roof appears to have curves in the valleys, none of the 37,000 square feet (3,437 m2) of Dove Gray Galvalume actually is curved. For installer Brian Swarthout of Excell Roofing of Whiting, N.J., this fact required meticulous planning and installation.
“These were some of the best subcontractors we have ever worked with,” Erdy noted. “We had several meetings with them while they were doing shop drawings to figure out ways to accommodate the
‘curves.’ A lot of care went into determining how the bends would be accommodated and the twists absorbed.”
The exterior walls between the ground and the roof are translucent glass, and the four “pegs” are concrete stone buttresses. This combination, along with placement of the building on the site, brings subtle natural light into the interior. It also allows parishioners to worship without distractions-because they are not fully exposed to the nearby street or outside activities. Artificial light consists of many individual light fixtures that create the image of a night sky in the large, open tent space.
“We were trying to create a separation of the architectural elements,” Erdy said. “We wanted to separate the roof from the other materials. The stone is more about earthly endeavors. Between the stone and metal is the glass, which disappears at some times and appears at others. The reflection of the interior lighting dematerializes the glass.”
The Site
St. Aloysius Parish, founded in 1965, sits on 16.59 acres (7 hectares) and consists of the new church; former church; a K-8 school built about 10 years ago; gymnasium; and the parish rectory. Because of an area population boom and continued expected growth, a larger church was needed; the parish census has nearly doubled in recent years with about 6,000 registered families.
In March 2001, Erdy McHenry Architecture was retained as part of a parish facilities master plan. That plan consisted of site circulation, service entries and construction of the new church. Design processes for the church began in August 2005, and site development occurred in December 2007. Construction got underway in March 2009, and the church was dedicated on March 14, 2009.
The new church, which seats 1,000 people, was sited next to the former church, which now is used as a multipurpose space for school functions and overflow of masses. “The old church and new church are not connected per se,” McHenry explained. “We did provide connections between the new gathering space and the old church and the school kitchen/cafeteria to increase the flexibility of that space in support of the various functions and events.” The new church sits at the front of the parish’s land, allowing the church to be a recognizable icon in the community.
The interior layout of the church is dictated by the four devotions. Devotion one is to the Blessed Sacrament, and this is reflected in the altar area. According to Erdy McHenry Architecture, the altar is designed to provide a clean backdrop to the services. Devotion two, the Passion of Our Lord, is anchored in the entry area. The church’s entry is an open gathering space, lit by skylights. Within the entry area, just before entering the sanctuary, is the baptismal. The baptismal has an axial relationship to the altar, connecting the congregation with the worship space as they move in and out. The Love of Our Lady is devotion three, and the sacristy is placed here with a small chapel and statue of the Blessed Mother. The sacristy walls, set in from the church’s exterior walls, sit below the roof. This area allows for a quiet, intimate space for prayer and devotion. Devotion four, the Choir of Angels, matches up with the choir loft. The loft mixes with the congregation area to connect the choir to the community. The church is seated in the half-round, allowing parishioners to feel connected to each other, as well.
Architectural Expression
A church designed with so much inspiration and thought is bound to have sustainable aspects. The space includes radiant floor heating, shading of overhangs, earth berms, daylighting, infiltration basins and bio-swales.
While parishioners may not fully understand that earth berms enhance insulating characteristics, infiltration basins capture and infiltrate the roof’s stormwater runoff, and bioswales in the parking lot capture and pretreat stormwater runoff, the architects carefully designed the structure and selected materials to allow St. Aloysius Church to ultimately serve its main purpose. And that parishioners undoubtedly comprehend as they gather together in God’s name.
“From our point of view, we very much wanted to create a sacred space that could tell the story of its purpose through its architectural expression,” McHenry said. “Worshipers may not understand all the subtleties on their initial interaction but hopefully will be challenged and encouraged to pursue a greater understanding of the intent and thereby the faith tradition established by their patron saint.”
St. Aloysius Church, Jackson, N.J.
Architect: Erdy McHenry Architecture LLC, Philadelphia
General contractor: Woodward Construction Co., Morganville, N.J.
MEP engineer: Van Praet and Weisgerber, Morristown, N.J.
Structural engineer: Bala Consulting Engineers, King of Prussia, Pa.
Roof engineer: Tully International, Santa Fe, N.M.
Civil engineering: LGA Engineering, Lakewood, N.J.
Site contractor: Bill Jim Construction, Jackson
A/V consultant: Straub Audio Visual Systems, Succasunna, N.J.
Liturgical appointments: Geronimo Sculpture, Philadelphia
Geotechnical: Melick-Tully and Associates, Mount Laurel, N.J.
Estimator: International Consultants Inc., Philadelphia
Fabricator: Architectural Design Panels Inc., Avenel, N.J.
Roofing installer: Excell Roofing of Whiting, N.J.
Metal roof: Englert Inc., Perth Amboy, N.J.
Roof structure: Unadilla Laminated Products, Unadilla, N.Y.
Pews: New Holland Church Furniture, New Holland, Pa.
Curtainwall: Kawneer, Norcross, Ga.
