St. Thomas Korean Catholic Church serves a large Korean-American community in Orange County, California. This recently remodeled 16,000 sq. ft. facility is the largest Korean Catholic church in the United States. Serving a congregation of 5,000 parishioners, the building features an exposed wooden roof structure with prominent light fixtures and a large rustic altar. The semicircular seating arrangement provides an open feel to the sanctuary and nave.
The exterior includes unique tile and masonry features at the entry, with large decorative doors, and a spiral sheet metal roof that rises 80 feet into the air. The facade artfully combines the Korean architecture with the traditional Catholic aesthetic.
The church incorporates first class acoustics with a state-of-the-art audio visual system designed by MLA. The loudspeaker system was designed to cover individual areas of the congregation and allow the signals to be delayed according to the source point of origin. Absorptive surfaces are covered with decorative wooden slats. Loudspeakers are designed to blend into the overall architecture while delivering excellent intelligibility and source localization. |