Christ Our Savior Catholic Parish, Santa Ana, CA

Serving the expanding and diverse communities in Santa Ana that comprise the Christ Our Savior congregation, the project brings new permanent worship facilities for the young parish to grow.  The master plan features modern building forms organized around a traditional central gathering courtyard, creating a sense of defined sacred “place” upon entry to the campus.  A cross spire reaches 85 feet into the skyline to further identify the sacred nature of the campus to the surrounding community.  The church itself reflects a delicate balance of old and new.  Traditional Spanish materials are mixed with an otherwise clean, modern palette to be both familiar and exciting for the next generation.  The exterior of the building has three stepped rooflines to express the Holy Trinity with continuous glass spanning between each roof, reinforcing this symbolism while also flooding the worship space with natural light.  Impressive interior volumes are felt with ceilings raising over 50 feet high and full-height window walls throughout. This volume adds to the reverence of the experience and creates a reverberant space for a future wind-driven organ. During various times of the day, sun paths are visible through small light slots in both the walls and ceilings to reinforce the continual presence of God through light.  The resulting worship environment is open, bright and allows a particular focus on the custom Italian liturgical artwork and furniture handcrafted from traditional forms of stone and glass.