Located in Lafayette Colorado, Baker Architects is a Catholic architecture firm that specializes in renovations, ground up builds, custom liturgical furnishings, and more.
Why can't we build loveable
CATHOLIC CHURCHES?
like we used to?
The short answer... We can
In fact, we can build better today than we used to. Using timeless building principles our catholic church architects make them last for generations. Additionally, through the use of cutting-edge technologies, our Catholic churches are filled with artwork, sculptures, icons, and stained-glass windows. Likewise, our ceilings can be beautifully crafted works of art just as they have been for centuries. ​
​All we need is to regain our shared imagination. One that sees God present in all of Creation and in human beings - a mode of being in the world rooted in the reality of the Incarnation. The Catholic Imagination forms the sacramental system whereby material things and human beings are channels and sources of God's grace. All of Creation is good and God is present everywhere.
More importantly, it doesn't have to cost a fortune.
How do we build loveable
CATHOLIC CHURCHES?
We IMAGINE together
01
We ENVISION together
02
We BUILD together
03
01
We IMAGINE Together:
The Immediate Interactive Design Process IIDP™
"A Radically Different Approach"​
Benefits:
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No weekly delays or forgotten notes
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Immediate documentation of the design at any point along the design process
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Instant updates to cost estimates and quantity take-offs
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Make informed decisions and reduce risk
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Significantly more efficient process
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Increased overall transparency
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No surprises
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Increased transparency on the project design
Baker Architects, we take a "radically" different approach to "think better" with our clients. In fact, the client gets involved in the actual design, all in real-time.
02
We DESIGN Together:
We are Catholic Church Architects
It's who we are... It's all we do
At Baker Architects we do not just design a "space to worship in," we craft sacred dwelling places where we can encounter God.​
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From fonts, to churches, to basilicas and cathedrals, no project is too small or too big​
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Dr. Baker holds a Ph.D. in Catholic Sacred Architecture
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​25+ years building loveable Catholic churches
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In-house artisans and artists
We are architects, artisans, and builders who care about all the details that make up a sacred place. Every soul should give glory to God in a beautiful, loveable, and sacred place.
03
We BUILD Together:
We bring your visions to life
WHAT IS THE "CATHOLIC IMAGINATION"?
From the Greek translation there are three terms that we can use to understand what the incarnation has to do with sacred architecture:
LOGOS
Order, word, eternal, structure, stability, logic, light
Integritas
SARX
Flesh, radiance, color, texture, matter, complexity, mystery, ornament
Claritas
ESKÄ’NÅŒSEN
To dwell with us, figure, personhood, cultural heritage, proportionality
Consonantia
Baker Architects developed a set of principles that every Catholic church must have for it to be loved and endured; a Catholic church must follow the Incarnational Principal.
Incarnational Principal:
"The word became flesh, and dwelt among us." - John 1:14
The Catholic Imagination is how Catholics view Creation and God's interaction with it; this centralizes around how Christ interacts with man. The Incarnation forms the bedrock of the Catholic worldview and underlies Christianity.​
​
Therefore, the Incarnational Principle speaks to the use of a material reality that can communicate and mediate the spiritual world, thereby allowing us to know God more perfectly. This allows for a Catholic church to be sacramental. The Incarnation of the Son forms the bedrock that underlies the Catholic worldview of the relationship between God and man. Grace penetrates nature; Creation is good.
Loveable Catholic Churches Appeal to the
CATHOLIC IMAGINATION
to do so, these Churches are...
BEAUTIFUL
FRUGAL
CULTURAL
DURABLE
What Happens when Churches don't appeal to the
CATHOLIC IMAGINATION?
These churches are often renovated, re-renovated or, worse, demolished and end up in a landfill.
Within less than one generation, one of our client parishes had to go through a major re-renovation to make their sanctuary more appealing to the Catholic Imagination.
BEFORE
Not being attentive to the Catholic Imagination, the choir loft was placed on top of the tabernacle.
AFTER
Our catholic church architects relocated the choir loft, drastically improved the acoustics, lifted the ceiling to the heavens, and added an iconically filled apse around the Tabernacle. All of this helped to signify the real presence in the Holy Eucharist and inspire the Catholic imagination.
GET IN TOUCH
Ready to build a beautiful Catholic church? Contact us today.
1360 Horizon Ave., Lafayette, CO 80026
303-358-1108
