Pews Vs. Chairs
Deciding whether to use pews or chairs for a large meeting room or congregation space involves a variety of factors: layout, flexibility, building codes, and budget. Pews are customized furniture that can include options such as book holders and kneelers. Stacking chair styles are widely available and provides the flexibility of fast and easy replacement. Does this Spark an idea?
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Significance
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Design of a meeting hall or worship space can include chairs or pews, arranged in rows. Pews are fixed benches, usually constructed of wood, often with cushions and fixed backs. Pews allow attendees to space themselves from one another as they choose. Stackable or folding chairs are usually made of metal and other rigid materials; some have built-in cushions. Chairs can be connected according to group needs and disassembled and stored when not in use. Pews convey solidarity and security while chairs can reflect a contemporary style.
Construction
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Pews are usually custom made of wood according to the room's architectural design and configuration, with options such as book holders built into the backs and cushions and kneelers installed as needed. Chairs used in large meeting rooms and congregations are usually stackable (i.e., not folding chairs) with padded seats and backs but no armrests. Book holders can be added. Hooks on each side of the seat allow chairs to be connected into rows. Kneelers are not used with chairs. Many suppliers, hotels and former places of worship can provide used inventories of chairs or pews.
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Considerations
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Layout and budget requirements must consider building codes and architectural features. The type of seating used determines room capacity, which dictates minimum exit, rest-room and ventilation requirements. A room using pews allocates 18 inches of pew space per person. A chair setup usually has a higher maximum occupancy.
Existing architectural features may dictate whether to use pews or chairs. Pews can be built to accommodate sloped floors or chevron or curved row configurations for optimal viewing of the center dais. Stock chairs don't provide comfortable seating on a sloped floor because the chair legs are fixed and so will lean forward. While chairs can be arranged in a staggered configuration for optimized viewing, most models can't be connected to form curved rows.
There are other factors that should be considered. Wood and finishes, along with options and installation costs, should be considered for pews. Whether chairs are all metal or have fabric or plastic seats can vary the costs for using chairs, as can equipment such as chair racks, accessories and the costs of installing storage room.
Benefits
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Contemporary pews may be curved to provide back support, and cushions are available in the same fabrics as those available for chairs.
Chairs can provide flexibility in seating layouts; however, for a large seating arrangement, it's wise to consider whether seating will be rearranged frequently.
The short-term cost for chairs is much less than that for pews. While chairs need to be replaced more frequently than pews, updates to decor and style is more affordable due to the relatively low up-front cost of chairs. Chairs also can promote closer proximity among participants.
Compromise
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Old pews can be refinished and updated with cushions to provide a relatively low-cost upgrade. A combination of pews and chairs can be implemented to provide flexibility for high-occupancy events, such as holiday services. The same fabric can be used on cushions for both pews and chairs for a complementary look.
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