Xtreme Structures and Fabrication (XSF) in Sulphur Springs, Texas, announces the hiring of Billy Phillips to its team. Phillips has more than 38 years of experience in light and sound installation, stage crew production, and venue management. He also brings extensive knowledge of outdoor roof systems, rigging, and Electronic Theatre Control installation.

Read more: Xtreme Structures Beefs Up Human (Design) Resources

Just minutes from Canada’s southern border, in Aldergrove, British Columbia, is Living Word Fellowship Church. The church reportedly purchased a fixer-upper and began upgrades to prepare the building for services.

Read more: Canadian Church “Fixer-Upper” Upgrades Sound, Preserves Sightlines

Adelaide, Australia’s Edge Church recently added a new installation of Pixapanel S10 LED video panels to the stage of its South campus, for a fresh, changing, and flexible worship background.

Read more: Case Study: Australian Church Works LED Video Wall

When dealing with worship spaces, the 21st century designer has a great deal of latitude in selecting seating choices—with more unique and out-of-the-box architectural seating now than ever.

“Churches are looking at everything from upper-end stackable seating in the sanctuary to removable seating in rooms where they can do banquets to hospitality seating of wood,” says Ray Wheeler, director of global sales for Bertolini’s church market. “The multi-campus trend is hottest and most exciting in terms of the mission of a church and how they are reaching their community. With chair requests, creativity is the name of the game.”

Read more: Have a Seat: Church-worthy seating choices for design consideration

The biggest buzz in church office seating concerns ergonomics.

When you’re dealing with an office setting in a church, you most likely are looking for a chair choice for someone sitting at a desk working with some sort of technology, such as a keyboard or tablet, and you want to ensure that a person’s body is comfortable.

Read more: Interior Designers Take Note: What Churches Need in Office Chairs

The Unity Temple Restoration Foundation of Oak Park, Ill., reports that of the more than 1,100 buildings that FrankLloydWright designed and the 532 that were built, Wright singled out UnityTemple as his "contribution to modern architecture." Unity Temple is a Unitarian Universalist church in Oak Park, and it was Wright's first public commission and his first sacred space—the last-surviving public building from his legendary Prairie period.

In July 2011, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced that it would propose that Unity Temple and 10 other Frank Lloyd Wright buildings be nominated to UNESCO's World Heritage List.

The Foundation’s website reports that Wright said this of Unity Temple: “That was my first expression of this eternal idea which is at the center and core of all true modern architecture. A sense of space, a new sense of space.”

To set up a tour of Unity Temple and to learn how to support the restoration, visit Unity Temple Restoration Foundation's website at www.utrf.org.

At PLASA Focus, a regional Professional Lighting and Sound Association (PLASA) event on May 15-16, 2013, in Orlando, Fla., renowned lighting designer and theatre consultant Richard Pilbrow will provide a look into designing theatre spaces. Pilbrow will reportedly examine the dramatic changes that have occurred in theatre architecture and provide a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming Dr. Philips Center for the Performing Arts in the heart of downtown Orlando.

PLASA Focus is a new regional event designed to showcase the world’s latest entertainment technology. The venue for PLASA Focus is the city’s Wyndham Orlando Resort. For program updates and to register, visit:

www.plasafocus.com/orlando/seminars/wednesday

Charles J. Reagan, principal of Alliance Architects Inc. based in Richardson, Texas, announces the firm has received the Irving Gill Distinguished Architect Award from the Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA), Mt. Vernon, Iowa.

Read more: Alliance Architects Recognized for Excellence In Tilt-Wall Development

Growing at a faster rate than the overall U.S. economy, the nonresidential construction industry is expected to see solid, yet measured, increases in activity this year, according to a semi-annual “Consensus Construction Forecast” just released by the Washington, D.C.-based American Institute of Architects. The report outlines a survey of the national’s leading construction forecasters, and also projects a 7.2% increase in spending in 2014.

 The forecast report shows “Religious” project spending in the institutional sector increasing by 2.6%, with a 4.9% gain anticipated for 2014.

Read more: Religious Market Segment Fares Well in 2013 Construction Forecast