When purchasing seating for their worship centers church leaders are faced with a myriad of decisions that affect the pricing, usability and comfort for congregations. One of the options that have become increasingly popular is theater seating.
Building safety codes require studies that measure the flow of people in sanctuaries. This influences aisle widths, row spacing and many other factors in the design of the space.
The calculation for theater-style seating is done with the seat in the up position verses pews and stack seating which are measured in the down position.
As a result, capacity calculations are greatly improved.
Fixed auditorium seating also improves seating fill rate; people will sit closer to each other when the space is defined.
The building codes for these installations measure capacity for pews as a person for every 18 inches of pew length.
The reality though is that people just do not sit in 18-inch spaces and many churches will find that, based on this measurement, their real capacity is much less than they thought. Some studies have shown that people in church sit in a 24-inch to 26-inch space.
Now a 1,000-seat sanctuary is really a 750-seat sanctuary. Theater seating improves the functionality due to increased space between rows of seating.
Many practical benefitsTheater seating also allows the late comers to slide in the rows with greater ease and allows parishioners more room while standing during the worship service. The flip up seat provides many practical benefits.
There is an increasing trend for leaders to include unique fabrics and churches to fit the mission of the church and the personality of their congregations. Fabric choices for sanctuaries are becoming brighter and bolder with a wide variety of options available. The use of multi-colored fabrics is becoming more common and adds drama to the look of the space. Many different types of fabrics are available to provide the style, durability and price point demanded by most churches.
Another popular trend is the use of recycled and sustainable fabrics at very affordable prices.
One such option is polyolefin yarns, which are made from waste products of gasoline manufacturing. Green is becoming more than a color choice in today’s seating fabrics.
Many styles of theater seating are designed with modern ergonomics engineered into the product.
As a result, they are simply more supportive and comfortable. The most popular chairs are being built with curved backs shaped like a spine for better support and comfort.
Durability is also built into the product and church leaders should look to architectural standards for chair testing to determine if the seating they are reviewing meet these common standards. ASTM testing and BIFMA standards should be used as a baseline for product durability.
Today’s churches require a combination of comfort, durability and a selection of fabrics and finish that compliment the design of the sanctuary.
Coke Irwin is sales opportunity program manager for Irwin Seating Company, Grand Rapids, MI. [irwinseating.com]Photos courtesy of Jon Denker, Commercial Architectural Photography Service.
