The St. Martin de Porres Church building, which opened in 1974, won accolades from the Ontario Association of Architects for its innovative Douglas Fir glue-lam beam roof structure. Unfortunately, the building suffered from moisture infiltration, and attempts to fix the issues only exacerbated the problems. These ongoing challenges, coupled with the evolving needs of a diverse parish community, necessitated a renovation and redesign of the church.
L+C came up with an innovative solution – we rotated the orientation of the congregation to face the existing windows, bringing the people closer to the altar and providing improved sightlines. To highlight the church’s distinctive diamond-shaped ceiling grid, the design team stripped the beams to expose the natural wood and punctuated a few to be opened up with skylights. They also lightened the ceiling with a soft blue accent along the beamlines, creating a lighter, airy atmosphere, while also acting as a cable tray for AV and fire alarm wiring. Integrating the new lighting into the coffers required careful coordination between trades so that electrical wiring is located unseen above the wood roof deck/ceiling and below the roofing and insulation.
Interior woodwork and finishes were designed to complement and enhance the original altar furniture. Transforming the brutalist 1970’s design into a more human-scaled space with warmth and delight.
