Simple options to manage social distancing in places of worship.

1. Social-distancing in
places of worship
• The following schematics show some different simple options
respecting social distancing in churches and places of worship.
A key factor being the spacing of the pews.
• Three options are shown for pews: a simple ‘square’ pattern, a
zig-zag pattern and an x-shaped pattern. There are others but
they’re too complicated to use in practice.
• Two options are shown for open spaces: a simple square
approach and the most efficient hexagon pattern.
• The most efficient use of space for a typical church depends on
the density of the pews. A spreadsheet is available for churches
to assess and self certify the maximum congregation based on
these schemas.
• To provide feedback or for further information contact:
seamus@stlimited.com 07894 882 075 STL is a company developing a
system specifically for
reducing historic churches
heating bills and carbon
footprints. Contact us for
more details.
© Seamus Treanor Ltd 2020

2. Typical area per person:
~5.10sqm
‘Squares’ in pews 54
Distance
between
pews ~0.85m
Pattern
repeats
Row 3
empty
Row 2
empty
Row 1
separation 2.0m

3. Typicalareaperperson:
4.85sqm
Zig-zag in pews 60
Pattern
repeats
Row 3
empty
Row 2
offset 1.9m
separation 3.8m
Row 1
separation 3.8m

4. Typicalareaperperson:3.74sqm
X-shaped in pews 72 Pattern
Repeats
Row 4
empty
Row 3
offset 1.1m
Separation 2.2m
Row 2
empty
Row 1
separation 2.2m

5. Typical area per person: 4sqm
Open Square 72
Pattern
Repeats
Row 1
separation 2.0m

6. Open hexagon XY 81
Pattern
Repeats
Row 2
offset 1.0m
separation 2.0m
Rows 1.74m apart
Row 1
separation 2.0m
Typical area per person:
3.48sqm

7. Theory and practice
• The schema’s above show single people spread
around this church.
• In practice a proportion of the congregation will
be families and couples. What happens to them?
• The open space is included in the calculation to
allows a fair margin for them in the total, but
keeps the calculations (relatively) simple.
• In theory people could stand in the open spaces including the
aisle positions but in practice the reality would be:
• The ‘Square’ two metre pattern as the default because it is the
simplest.
• If the church was close to maximum capacity, families and
couples could fill a whole column(s) of pews with two empty
pews between them as per the Square in Pews pattern. As
long as they kept 2m apart horizontally!
• Everywhere else as per the X pattern or Zig-zag pattern
whichever worked in practice

8. Theory and practice
• The key to managing distancing is the empty
rows. We'd suggest ribbons across the empty
rows of seats.
• The numbers shown are based on
St James Church, Barton under Needwood.
• The maximum number a church can hold will
depend on the area of the church and the density
of the pews.
• A simple spreadsheet is available to calculate the number
and a pro-forma document to publish it.
• For further information contact:
seamus@stlimited.com 07894 882 075
STL is a company developing a
system specifically for reducing
historic churches heating bills and
carbon footprints. Contact us for
more details.
© Seamus Treanor Ltd 2020