St. Edmond Catholic Church
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana
Size: 12,000 sf
The design and development process of St. Edmond Catholic Church was an innovative and unique process, involving a cross-section of participants to fully understand the needs of the congregation. The resultant facility, which cost 1.7 million dollars, seats 700 persons and is a structure that is sensitive to the environment and successfully combines the elements of both traditional and contemporary architecture into a unified element.
Exterior meditation and prayer garden areas are visible from the interior seating areas of the facility which convey a feeling of unification with the outdoors while still allowing focus on the main altar areas. The design concept provides a transitional journey from the noisy exterior environment through separate vestibule areas which allow only views upward to the high ceiling areas beyond, psychologically preparing one for the entrance into the main body of the church.