Saint Philip Minh Church Addition + Renovation

Client: Roman Catholic Parish of St. Philip Minh
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Size: 7,800sf
Stage: Completed 2017


About
Located on an expansive riverfront lot in Northeast Saint Boniface, Saint Philip Minh Church was originally built as a seminary school by Liebling Michener and Associates (LM) in 1959 and then expanded upon EJ Gaboury and Associates in 1961. The modern, open courtyard building has been in use by the Vietnamese Roman Catholic Church since 2005. Due to an increase in congregation size, the church identified the need for a larger worship space, and the church brought the request to enclose the exterior 7,800 sf courtyard space forward.

MMP explored many iterations of the courtyard conversion throughout the design phase. Some of the major decisions included the following:

  • Originally, the roof support structure was proposed as a timber frame but then altered to glulam to match the existing exposed glulam beams running through space and maintaining a visual gridline.

  • Fenestration: Clerestory window details were explored. A continuous Kalwall window system was determined to be the best option to accommodate existing roof structures and diffuse lighting to the worship space.

  • Walls: The existing exterior brick that once enveloped the courtyard was restored to become the interior finish of the new worship space.


It was important for the client group that natural finishes be included throughout the worship space. The seating in the nave consists of custom solid wood pews, which were specially made in New Holland, Pennsylvania. A custom-made circular oak sanctuary stage is flanked by carefully designed alcoves in which hardwood sculptures of Mary and Joseph are placed. Tying all of the wood features together are the many hand-carved oak artifacts distributed throughout the space. These artifacts were crafted in Vietnam during a special curatorial trip taken by the church’s priest.

In addition to the worship space, a new church entrance and bell tower were also constructed. The tower houses a 600lb bell of the first church of Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption parish, which was cast in France in 1912 and donated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese St. Boniface. The Vietnamese-inspired tower was designed in collaboration with members of the St Philip Minh expansion committee. Significant fundraising efforts were undertaken to ensure this important feature could be completed in time for the grand re-opening, which took place in the Summer of 2017.