An Addition & Renovations to Redeemer Church

After a feasibility study which revealed renovation of the existing west wing of Redeemer Church was infeasible, the congregation asked the architectural firm to explore possibilities for a new construction addition to their existing east wing. Through programming exercises, it was determined that reconstructing a similar footprint to what was being demolished against the public sidewalk would solve circulation issues and speak to Redeemer’s evolving identity as a Fort Sanders neighborhood third place. Redeemer Church sought a building addition that would represent their love of Fort Sanders and welcome fellow neighbors. Beyond worship, Redeemer wanted to continue to lease art space, have open-door areas for meditation and prayer, provide access for those with disabilities beyond what codes require, and have an outdoor area to host block parties.

The design team began by studying the circulation of the building, site, and nearby blocks holistically from various perspectives and transportation modalities (resulting in Image 1). Early sketches showed a form that was similar in scale and massing as the proposed demolition and could be identified as something between a residential and commercial form – a third type of form (??). The building would glow after sunset from a carved-out area of the opaque façade facing Seventeenth and the glazed connector above the stoop facing Highland and the parking areas. The interplay of preservation and progression was explored by translating precedent though the lens of the current. An existing limestone block site wall was proposed to be preserved, relocated, and juxtaposed against a new chiseled limestone-clad cavity wall. Existing wire cut brick would be preserved and a new glass curtain wall would abut it. Wall dormers, traditional in Victorian designs, would be re-imagined as steel extrusions. Cathedral ceilings on the upper level would be achieved via laminated and painted standard lumber trusses and exposed structural insulated panels.

Ultimately, the work fell victim to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on material pricing and procurement. At the design development control estimate, the project was about 10% over budget – a manageable amount. A value engineering process was undertaken in which the design team and the general contractor believed they would hit their target of a 10% reduction only to find upon the bid opening that the subcontractor prices had increased by 7% – meaning there was less building for 17% more money than what had been estimated at design development. This finding sealed the fate of the project.