When VOUS Church set out to design a campus in South Miami, our assignment was clear: build something unlike traditional churches—not just a sanctuary, but a space that reflects the movement. Pastor Rich Wilkerson Jr. and Church Manager Chris Lopez inspired us to not design a monument. Design momentum.

VOUS is known for its culture—raw, real, and relentlessly hopeful. On Sundays, it transforms borrowed theaters and makeshift stages into altars. Its worship isn’t confined to pews, and neither could its architecture be. So from the start, the design challenge was to blur the line between sacred and everyday, between performance and prayer, between gathering and going.

The concept was born alongside the concept of flow, meaning open spaces, natural light, movement. It meant welcoming those on the margins and creating environments that invite—not intimidate. So we started not with walls, but with courtyards, walkways, and transitions. The central idea came from a mid-century concept of a “spiritual plaza”—a public, walkable campus where the central space would be a platform for connection.

The main auditorium—VOUS’s worship center—was designed not as a cathedral, but as a creative studio for the soul. The architecture is bold but minimal: steel, glass, and concrete textures softened by raw wood and greenery. Inside, the 1,134-seat auditorium is immersive. The walls are wrapped in acoustic panels that double as light-reactive art. LED fixtures hang like halos over the stage. A circular seating layout reflects VOUS’s belief in unity and conversation rather than hierarchy.

Beyond the auditorium, the campus branches into three key spaces: VOUS Kids, VOUS Creatives, and VOUS Care.

VOUS Kids is a color-soaked wonderland—playful, safe, and full of storytelling moments. Murals painted by local artists tell visual parables; interactive screens and learning zones nurture both imagination and faith.

VOUS Creatives is the heartbeat for the teams behind the lens—content, music, film, and design. It’s half recording studio, half think tank. Exposed ceilings, writable glass walls, and modular workspaces allow for constant experimentation.

VOUS Care is the softest space. A pastoral wing houses counseling rooms, quiet prayer alcoves, and space where leaders come not for sermons, but to lead.

Every pathway through the campus was designed to intersect. No one enters without encountering others. The café is the lobby. The lobby is the courtyard. An interior courtyard lawn becomes an amphitheater under the a historic oak tree.

Landscaping was intentional—natives, oaks, blooming frangipanis, and sculptural concrete planters that double as benches.

Sustainability was not an afterthought. A church that wants to change the world must steward it well.

This isn’t a place to retreat from the city, but a place to serve it.