Durban Christian Centre

Elphick Proome Architects - Durban, South Africa - 2021

Key words: Acoustics, Arches, Auditorium, Community, Dome, Faith, Innovation, Landmark, Steel

Church exterior - Photography: © Karl Beath

The new Jesus Dome precinct in Mayville emerges as both a memorial and a reinvention, rising from the ashes of its fire-destroyed predecessor. Serving 3,500 worshippers, the design reconciles the community’s emotional attachment to the original dome with the architectural and acoustic demands of a modern megachurch. Instead of replicating the old form, the architects devised an innovative “virtual dome”: three intersecting steel arches, slivers of a sphere, spanning an acoustically refined auditorium. This gesture preserves the dome’s symbolic presence while overcoming its functional shortcomings.

The project balances monumentality with honesty. The soaring arches define the church as an urban landmark visible across multiple scales - from highway approaches to the pedestrian threshold - yet the surrounding enclosures are stripped down, raw, and economical, reflecting budgetary limitations and the modest means of its congregation. The reuse of salvaged elements from the fire reinforces continuity, while the pared-back materiality achieves warmth and authenticity without excess.

Technically, the design is distinguished by its collaborative engineering process, integrating acoustic precision with structural ingenuity. The steel arches, anchored in concrete, both commemorate and surpass the original dome, transforming loss into renewal. The building succeeds not through luxury but through resilience, faith, and innovation, offering the community a new icon rooted in memory and adaptation.