|
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you define liturgy?
Liturgy is the ritual
framework that a denomination uses to worship God. Therefore,
when I speak of liturgy I am referring to the method a
denomination uses in the communal activity of worship.
What
is a Liturgical Design Consultant?
It is important to first
make a distinction between liturgical consultant and liturgical
design consultant. A liturgical consultant is a person who
performs consultant services related to the rites and rituals of
a denominations liturgy. A liturgical design consultant is a
person that consults on the design of spaces and furnishings for
locations where the liturgy is celebrated.
What are the
primary roles of the Liturgical Design Consultant?
-
Facilitator for goal
setting sessions with the building committee.
-
Educator on
principles of liturgy and liturgical design.
-
Partner with
architect in the development of conceptual design of worship
and devotional spaces.
-
Partner with
architect for presentations to the church congregation and
denomination groups.
-
Facilitator at
meetings of church congregation groups.
-
Designer of
liturgical furniture and appointments.
-
Liaison to artists
and crafts-people.
Do
you have an educational process?
One of the primary
activities of a liturgical design consultant is to provide
educational opportunities for a church congregation. We have the
ability to provide a full or partial curriculum, depending on
the needs of the church community.
 What is your business structure?
RD Habiger & Associates
Inc is a Sub-chapter S Corporation, incorporated in the State of
New Mexico.
Does the
firm have a Mission Statement?
RD Habiger & Associates,
Inc was established to:
-
Design churches that
meet the needs of the people who worship there, enhance the
religious life of the church community and facilitate the
liturgies that take place there.
-
Develop and share
effective and innovative liturgical design approaches.
-
Sharpen the skills,
provide a creative outlet for the talents, and enhance the
lives of the members of the firm.
-
Educate architects
and the general public on the benefits and possibilities of
design processes using environmental psychology.
To achieve these ends we
shall:
-
Focus our efforts on
projects with unique situations or opportunities.
-
Keep the clients at
the center of the process.
-
Take the time that
is required to understand the client, communicate
effectively with other professionals and contractors,
understand applicable codes, zoning and covenants, revise
and rework until the design solves the largest possible
number of problems and see that all details are taken care
of.
-
Allow and encourage
independence, responsibility, continuing education and
personal time for the members of the firm.
-
Approach every
project as a learning experience and an opportunity to share
what we learn.
-
Make ourselves
visible to the professional and church communities through
writing, lecturing, and workshops.
-
Participate actively
in leadership roles within our professions.
Do
we work with just one Denomination?
No, our emphasis is to
help any church community develop spaces for worship that
enhances their worship experience. Typically this is primarily
limited to liturgical based denominations, such as Roman
Catholic, Episcopalian, Methodist, Lutheran, and Presbyterian.
However, we have provided services to other denominations as
well.
What is the best way to engage your
services?
Robert Habiger &
Associates can be hired as an
independent liturgical design consultant as well as a
collaborator with dioceses, liturgists, other liturgical design
consultants and architects. For applicable projects we direct
the interior design or function as the architect.
How do you
stay connected to the project?
We request that the
client establish a primary contact person to work with us. With
this person we use all the standard methods of communication,
such as telephone, fax, e-mail, and letter. As needed, different
methods are used when communicating with different parties. We
believe it is important for us to be at the project sight for
key milestones and activities of the project. If warranted, we
can organize video conferences as a means to have a face-to-face
session without actually being there. Our role is not to be the
point-of-contact for project communications (typically reserved
for the architect) but to participate as part of the
professional team.
How has the
reformed liturgy affected construction of a church building?
The last fifty years has
seen changes in how each denomination celebrates their liturgy.
Many believe that the Roman Catholic Church has had the most
dramatic change. When remodeling an existing or designing a new
worship space, the primary form maker is the liturgy. Any church
building and its arrangement of furniture must respond to the
rites and rituals of each particular denominations liturgy. This
means that the design of a place of worship starts first with an
understanding how the rites and rituals are executed.
Where is the
best placement of choir in a worship space?
Each denomination places
a different level of importance and emphasis on the choir or
music ministry. However, for each situation four key factors
must be taken into consideration:
-
The desired
acoustical qualities of the space.
-
The principle
musical instruments to be used in the space.
-
The total number of
members in the choir.
-
The guidelines
provided by each denomination for development of music
ministry spaces.
How does a worship space provide sacramental access to people
with disabilities?
No church building
should be designed without using universal design that
emphasizes total accessibility of facilities to people with
disabilities. Even when a building is designed with universal
design principles in mind it is still the responsibility of each
congregation to develop methods to accommodate unique and/or
special disabilities, as they arise. Using universal design is a
moral decision of a church to ensure that all age groups and
unexceptional disabilities are accommodated. |
