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harness its potential as a carbon-
neutral, 21st-century structural 
material. But while timber is 
beginning to serve as the backbone 
of today’s high-rises and other 
commercial facilities, it is still 
avidly used in one of its earliest 
applications—spiritual spaces.
Wood for worship
Timber is a storyteller. It has 
life and carries centuries of 
architectural tradition. In spiritual 
spaces and buildings designed 
for worship, timber frames can 
do more than provide shelter. 
Wood creates an atmosphere of 
reverence and warmth, connecting 
contemporary congregations with 
the spiritual past.
“Wood in a religious setting is 
a reminder of nature, and the 
visible contributions of human 
harvesting and work,” says Richard 
Dattner FAIA, principal at Dattner 
Architects, and a designer of 
worship spaces that uses timber.
Perhaps the most iconic example 
of the physical and spiritual 
power of timber can be found 
in the hammer beam trusses of 
London’s Westminster Abbey. 
Commissioned in 1393 by King 
Richard II and measuring 21 x 
73 m (68 x 240 ft), it is the largest 
medieval timber roof in Northern 
Europe.
This masterpiece of design 
continues to captivate worshippers 
and visitors alike. To an observer, 
the centuries-old, seemingly 
impossible cantilevered design 
creates a sense of strength, 
durability, and wonder. The awe 
produced by this blend of spirit, 
nature, strength, and permanence 
is what designers of worship spaces 
today seek to emulate. Many 
recent projects demonstrate how 
architects are reimagining timber’s 
role in spiritual architecture.
Timeless and modern
While wood is an ancient building 
material, that does not mean it is 
not innovative. Today’s engineered 
wood products provide greater 
degrees of performance and 
flexibility to designers while still 
embodying the elements that make 
timber such a timeless material. 
For example, glue-laminated 
timber, or glulam, is a structural 
product constituted by layers 
of dimensional lumber bonded 
with durable, moisture-resistant 
structural adhesives. These 
materials are available to today’s 
designers and builders of worship 
spaces.
Trinity Community Church in 
YOUR TOOLKIT FOR BUILDING EXCELLENCE

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