Faithbridge, a vibrant church in Northwest Houston, recently broke ground on a new 24,170-sf Student Center situated on their 45-acre campus. Designed by Studio RED and built by Axis Builders, the Student Center will boast a unique, flexible worship space that transforms from a traditional worship venue with stained glass to a black box for student worship.
Studio RED Partner In Charge, Jared Wood, says, “It was a joy to partner with Faithbridge to design this project. We have a long, successful working relationship, and we are excited to see the church’s latest vision come to fruition.”
One of the building’s most unique features is the Senior and Junior High Auditorium, which must function as a black box for students, then convert into a traditional chapel venue for funerals, weddings, or worship. To accomplish this challenging goal, the project team utilized eight pivoting panels that hinge 180 degrees. One side of the panels shows a lightbox with stained glass images, while the other side is painted grey with wall washing lights that can change color. The ceiling features strip lights in suspended beams that alternate colors or function as traditional lights. Upstage, stained glass light boxes can be covered to accommodate the needs of the student ministry and blackout shades can cover the windows, transforming the entire space based on the needs of the day. 
Additional features of the new Student Center include a sixth-grade auditorium, 12 classrooms, with a dedicated classroom for students with special needs, seven offices, and a servery with an adjacent gathering area. An outdoor courtyard features space to play volleyball, basketball, gaga ball, nine-square in the air and an open green for gathering outside.
About Studio RED Architects
Studio RED Architects was founded in 2004 because of a desire to create an architecture firm that was different and better. The company is dedicated to creating innovative designs that can be built within budget, providing hands-on principal involvement throughout the entire process and remaining a client-driven company rather than ego-driven. Studio RED Architects is a nationally-recognized award-winning firm and was named the 2015 AIA Houston Firm of the Year.
