Thanks Charles, how deep and wide would you say the loft is, and is your console in the center, on one of the sides, and what is its orientation (organist facing front, rear, or sides).

Most lofts I've been have less than adequate lighting. Obviously it can not be overly brighter than the space below but it should be bright enough so the choir does not need to bring in flash lights.

You don't necessarily need a loft ... just so your not in front, by or in the sanctuary. There are merits to not having a loft though personally I prefer one.

Our loft is typical of parish churches of the early 20th century:

Size: small
Layout: cramped

Somehow in the early days they managed to fit 50 people up there at High Mass every Sunday. How, I haven't the faintest idea.

I will have to measure this weekend, because my estimate could be really off. Recently, I had two 500-watt halogens placed in the arch over the console, bringing the illumination up to 3,500 watts for the loft. It helped, but it can be hard to light a high-ceiling space like that. I am 20 feet higher than the main floor, and the ceiling is a good 25-30 above the loft in the center. My back is to the rail and I watch the front with a mirror. The choir is directly in front of me and I play and also conduct from the organ.

The co-cathedral in Houston has what has got to be the nicest loft I've ever seen. Seating for a gazillion, a separate level for instrumentalists--so big. It would be a great work environment. Of course, the organ is fabulous to play also.

If you're building a new building, I think a site visit to Houston would be in order.

How large is your church going to be? What sort of music do you do or envision? I should think that an ideal choir gallery would first of all have ample space for the organ and console that you have or will have; in addition, it would seat (comfortably!) at least 30-40 (or more, if you have them) choir members; and then it would have space left over to accomodate any instruments (brass, tympani, orchestral groups) that you may use on special occasions. This, of course, is a dream gallery which you may pare down or magnify to accomodate the reality of your situation. As may be known, I do prefer the choir down front, Anglican-style in a chancel, but most here, I realise, do not share this vision.

We will initially build a church for a little over 500 PIPs. Then we will expand past 1k PIPs in the future
The design will be gothic and the loft will be in the back in a mezzanine style. With two stair cases and possibly an elevator.

Our loft was an afterthought, when the founding pastor was offered a pipe organ.

The organ takes up too much space. It would be nice to compress it. The organ pipes are in the middle along with the console.

The choir members congregate around the organ with (as I face them) the sops on the left, altos behind the console through the middle, tenors in the back on the right and basses in front of them. We have risers and can comfortably house about 25 people. I just direct the choir so I stand in front of the basses. This is not ideal because the sopranos are too far away and the men too close to me, so sometimes I run downstairs to get a better idea of the sound. There is one set of stairs and no elevator which does make it difficult for older members.

We have a tiny room which houses all our music up there. We also have shelving for all of our music, which makes the space a bit messy, but we don't have another room, so it is what it is.

I would say the entire space is about 30 feet by 60 feet. That is just a guess though.

Think about where the organ console is situated. If you are conducting, it should be in the middle (the organist prior to me directed too, that's why the organ is in the middle), but if the accompanist is not the director, then the console can be on the side. If you need risers I would get movable risers too, because it would be nice to move them around if you have a string quartet and timpani up there.

The downside to a deep loft is that there is a good amount of space covered by the loft in the church, unless the loft is built over the foyer like this: http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2008/10/solemn-mass-from-toronto-oratory-holy.html

This is Holy Family Parish in Toronto. It was recently built by the Oratorians because their church burned down. It is a wonderful space. I think the console is in the middle as is the organ, further back and the choir is on either side facing one another, so the issue of depth is not really there. It is a good compromise. I'm sure you could contact the organist there for his opinions.

A movable console may be an asset. Just don't get one of these theatrical types that can be rolled in front of the altar for recitals, complete with cameras, screens and mirrors so that everyone can watch the organist's feet instead of listen to the music. These are all the rage now in certain circles. Hopefully, there are no Catholic churches in those certain circles. Unfortunately, I know of two prominent Episcopal churches in Houston that just couldn't resist getting on this 'band wagon'.

I'm also for a moveable console. My previous church had a small loft that could accommodate 20-25 people MAX plus a movable organ console and an Everett studio piano. The organ (25 rank, originally Wangerin, with additions and rennovations by a local builder in 2003) actually has a second console up in front near the sanctuary, which also has a Yamaha grand piano. This is where the choir does most of their singing these days (they do use the loft on occasion, though.

The church I grew up in, in rural south-central Wisconsin, built in 1899, has a huge loft that is probably capable--by my estimation--of comfortably accommodating a sizeable choir, as well as organ, piano, music/choir storage, and a small orchestra. The front half of the loft (which runs the entire width of the church) has a sloped floor, by design, and so the choir risers and organ platform were built in. The rest of the space was overflow seating. Musicians (meaning the organ and occasionally a small 6-8 person choir, and even more rarely a cantor) were down in front beginning in the mid-late 70's because the loft was deemed "unsafe;" likely scenario is that the pastor just didn't want people up there, and used "unsafe" as the excuse, which stuck for 30 years through several different priests. A new pastor in 2007 had the loft inspected and it was all of a sudden perfectly safe again....like magic! The musicians have been back up there ever since, although some modifications have been made like added lighting, the old built-in risers removed, and a larger platform built over part of the sloped portion, and the railing was heightened.

Current parish church (built in 1963) has a "loft" that is little more than the ceiling over the vestibule, and is not structurally capable of sustaining much of a load. There is no access to it, and its only current residents are one set of organ speakers and the 3 flood lights that backlight the 3-story tall stained glass window at night. We currently play and sing from a modified area at the front left of the nave, in front of the marble communion rail. They used to play the organ and sing from a choir room at the front to the left of the Sanctuary, opposite the sacristy. It had screened off openings so the choir could be heard but not well seen. My guess is that sometime in the 90s the current arrangement was done, and the screen openings were permanently closed off and the space converted to a parish library. I'm satisfied with the current location, but would like to redesign it eventually.

Most modern systems just have 1 Ethernet cable and a power cable.

It never ceases to amaze me what a cat5 cable can carry.

Bumping this valuable thread, hoping for additional comments/recommendations about choir loft size, layout, accessibility. Many thanks!

ServiamScores - what a great point about the controls for the lighting - i would never have thought about that. thank you !!

Get two staircases if you can. We have two and it is helpful. Old churches with a single, deathspiral staircase is very difficult. Older singers have difficulty navigating them and they are a fire-hazard.

Another thing: doors. You should be able to lock the loft. Keep people out of there who have no business being up there. My current church has two big, modern staircases, and no way to keep people out. I hate it. People who are late to Mass try to come sit up in the loft and they have no business being there. Also, others have gotten up to shenanigans up there when I'm not around because I cannot prevent them from going up there. Everything has to be locked up, rather than just locking the loft door when we leave. It's a real pain. One church around here just has an iron gate, so it's not truly "closed" off in the sense of a solid door, but it is still inaccessible. I think this is a nice option if doors are an issue for some reason.

And ANOTHER thing! (lol)

If the access to the loft is via the vestibule, then real doors are a GOOD thing. Our loft access is from the vestibule, and they are straight stairwells up to each far corner. The problem is that parents take their screaming kids out to the vestibule, and then not into the cry room. Those stairwells act just like tone chutes, and so they might as well not have even left the church. But now the sound is directed and focused right at the musicians since it is coming up focused right behind their backs. If we had doors, that tonal egress would be totally prevented (or nearly so).

If you have pews on the sides (like the traditional bifurcated lofts that I mentioned earlier) perhaps keep the first row or 2's worth of space open, so you have somewhere to put a brass ensemble for special occasions (this is presupposing you have some form of permanent seating in the middle of the loft).