New Kingdom Hall Design in Mansfield, OH

[Ahuvah]

12 minutes ago, Qapla said:

Just a thought ......

 

I have seen some very attractive Assembly Halls. I have attended many, many, many District (now Regional) Conventions - and all of them have been in Commercial Centers ... from Convention Centers to Metro-Auditoriums/Arena to Football Stadiums, including the Superdome (pre-Katrina) and have never heard anyone mention that they didn't like the Convention because it looked to "commercial"

 

Like I said .... just a thought

Right so it's not the packaging that counts it's the contents.

 

And yes the second photo with the lighting and sign does give it a more warm look ... improved immensely.

Edited April 5, 2016 by Stormswift

[Dantheman136]

5 hours ago, Old said:

There is something to be said for building a KH in a commercial zone. It can be sold and used for any legal purpose. If built in a residential zone it will be accompanied by a conditional use permit which only allow a sale for religious purposes.  Many old KHs around the country have been up for sale for years.

Here is a photo of the old KH in Eureka California. Built in a commercial zone in 1955 was readily sold to become an lawyers office. Note the crenelated WT planters on each side of the porch.

 

Jerry, you are absolutely right. It took us 5 years to sell our former hall and we had to keep lowering the price.

[Old]

8 hours ago, Dustparticle said:

Simple and nice. Much easier to float if flood come through.

Good point! I have never thought the Ark appealed  to the eye, but if you happen to like stock barns, it probably looks pretty good.

[New World Explorer]

1 hour ago, Old said:

I agree, the lead topic photo is not very exiting.

Try this one, note: Walmart sign removed 

Much  more appealing photo.

Wow ! big difference ! I start to actually like it ! Do you have interior shots ?

[Old]

 

14 minutes ago, Gregexplore said:

Wow ! big difference ! I start to actually like it ! Do you have interior shots ?

None that I can verify from this hall.

The picture I posted was from a different source than the OP. The details all seem to match.

[New World Explorer]

1 minute ago, Old said:

 

None that I can verify from this hall.

The picture I posted was from a different source than the OP. The details all seem to match.

Ok thanks, I have a feeling that interior would be very modern like, straight lines, big screen TV's etc.

Sadly though many of our brothers are still in need of respectable places of worship around the world !

Let's not forget that our financial contribution plays a VITAL role.

[retroHelen]

The chapter on Noah in our CBS book pointed out that if the Tsohar of the Ark is the roof, then it may have had a 4% peaked/pitched roof to let the rain run off. See footnote in our revised Bible for Genesis 6:16.

 

That's why flat-rooved modernist designs that came to England in the 1950-70's had so many problems. They used flat roof designs from countries that had less rain and thus they suffered lots of damp issues. We need pitched rooves here. Local authorities for planning control and building regulations rarely allow a flat roof of a home garage or home extension now - even industrial buildings/warehouses are preferred to have pitched rooves unless there is very good reason to - eg: it is going to be 'green' - growing stuff/well drained with helicopter pad or roof pool.

 

I feel pitched rooves are easier on the eye than utility box architecture construction. 

 

Countries with less rain can get away with flat rooves to use usefully like the Israelites did on their rooves for festivals, drying goods (Rahab's flax), prayer and anything else that was cooler in the mornings/evenings to do.

 

PS: I'm showing my age here - At school I was taught that the plural of roof was rooves, now I think UK may have adopted roofs as the plural as all my spellings are getting flagged up on more than this site, but I'm sticking to what I know and like - pitched rooves.

[alba aurora]

I am just going to say it : I don't like it. It's looks like a warehouse. 

Edited April 7, 2016 by alba aurora

[jwhess]

I am retired now, but I taught architecture for some years.  Many of our brothers are familiar with the standard type of Kingdom Hall that looks a lot like a large residential home.   Such a design can be visually appealing.  Keep in mind the current efforts are designed around low cost, long life, easy maintenance and security.  The "commercial" style has many of these features.  The reason for the non-peaked roof design is to allow the utility equipment (heat, A/C and so on) to be placed on the roof structure.  This eliminates much vandalism and theft (think copper) when compared to the ground mounted units.  The new structures are built with steel and concrete to avoid some of the mold. mildew and dry-rot problems associated with the wood-frame residential designs.  Structural strength is increased and these commercial materials will outlast residential building products, generally.  When it comes to maintenance and repair, a peaked roof has many more square feet of material to replace.

 

The list goes on, but the main point is that many brothers in professions such as engineering, architecture, building and design have poured much time and effort into producing a few designs (which can be easily replicated) to provide us with comfortable places of worship.  Think of these designs along the lines of movie theaters instead of a comfy cottage.  the design then takes on an appeal of its own.   If the residential style was best, all of the commercial properties would use that style, but they don't.  In standard residential work, a home is designed to last 35-40 years without major renewal or overhaul.  In sustainable architecture this number is increased to 80-100 years.  I have been told that our designs are laid out for even longer time-frames.

 

I have many memories of Kingdom Halls in rented facilities (an old warehouse on a dock, a grocery store front, a converted church w/bell tower, and so on).  Simple structures with good strength and the required heat, light, seating, sound, visual projection and restrooms are all that we need.  If we maintain them at low cost, everyone can share in having a place of worship.  If you turn to page 245 of the old "paradise" book (the pink one from 1958) you will see that this design is the futuristic one we all dreamed about back then.

[Qapla]

Another aspect to having a flat roof so that the mechanical equipment can be placed there is building regulations.

 

Here in Florida, the State is moving away from "split systems" where the ir handler is in the attic. They want "package units", either plced on the ground and ducted into the building or roof mounted. It cuts way down on the amount of moisture in the attics and thus eliinates one major cuse of mildew in warm, damp climates.

 

The new design fits tese new building codes.

[Rosalie4u]

I must say my first reaction was similar to many others - looks like a commercial warehouse type of building, but, a lot can be done to make it more appealing.  I know they experiment on designs - our newer Assembly Hall design (Orangeburg, SC) was the first of a "type of design" that the brother over it said it was experimental to see if they would continue this design.  The inside hall area is designed more like a half circle instead of a long auditorium.  Love it.  Big screens  too.  Lobby/concourse is very nice but they put 2 sets of doors to go into the auditorium.  Brothers wind up standing there holding them open during lunch, etc. (no foot peg door openers).   The negative is the entrance to the bathrooms, which turned out to be a major problem.  They have one narrow entrance and then inside it branches down 3 separate aisles of stalls on both sides (total of 6 sides of stalls, about 7 per side, so there are a lot of stalls) and it always gets bottle necked at the entrance with a huge line because everyone is trying to patiently wait their turn and they cannot see the upper aisle lines for empty stalls - they can only see the very first aisle of stalls.  The friends have started volunteering to stand at each upper aisle and call or motion for the next person in line to come on down to this line - "2 here!" or "sisters, come on down here!" for instance.  There is a narrow exit that they started putting up signs "exit only", when it should be open for friends to enter also instead of a huge line coming out in the lobby/concourse waiting for the restrooms.  Hopefully, they have learned from this failed design - lots of stalls but "sight failure" on the side of the friends to realize to walk on up 10 or 20 steps to see down the next 2 aisles.  Also, they tried to modernize the paper towel dispensers (motion detector) but many of them have failed already after only a year.  So the brothers are experimenting with designs to make it easier and more functional, and sometimes it is a failure - so we will see how this new KH design will work out in the long run. 

[JSmith]

Change is always difficult to get used to.

 

The elders had a special meeting when the new design was introduced and they had the brothers on the design commitee talk about it.  I remember one brother saying he was VERY MUCH against the commercial design, even as late as the meeting where they had to come to a final decision.  But he said that after they prayed together as a body and discussed it it became evident this was the direction Jehovahs spirit was leading them.

 

I continue to think about what a humble attitude this brother displayed.

 

Change can be difficult but Jehovahs spirit keeps moving his organization in the direction that will be most beneficial for all.

[boodles]

I love it; especially the windows.

[vern]

Is this an international design ?   maby its helps for the international building work aswell?

[kend]

Looks like a commercial building, but the design is pretty efficient.  I do not like outdoor HVAC for maintenance in my limited experience.  Our present hall is a double, built in an industrial area.  The "old" design with stucco, brickwork half way up, carport (?) entrance, lots of parking.  We don't have to worry about annoying neighbors with traffic, there are fewer passersby to cause vandalism.  There do seem to be break and entries way late at night on cars left in some of the businesses.  The CO apartment is built on tdhe back.  The only thing I would have done is given him a carport or garage, and moved the apartment to the B side for a bit more privacy and a southern snowmelting exposure.

[AH173]

On 4/5/2016 at 10:08 PM, Shawnster said:

Posted to a Witness Facebook group I belong to.  (Our International Brotherhood).

 

 

One story building, one main Hall with a capacity of 180's,second Hall with capacity of 50's with big monitor inside, and all glass, sound proof, 2 rest rooms another extra rest room for family. Room for mother with baby. Room for elders meeting, library, and storeroom.

Would this be the large design from the LDC JW broadcasting program was talking about? It looks really big.