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.

Framework for Design Excellence

• Matches form and scale of residential buildings and historic churches in Fort Sanders.
• Preserves and juxtaposes limestone retaining wall, a common site feature in Fort Sanders.
• Modernizes design features like wall dormers and entry stoops, which are features of nearby to Victorian designs.
• Focuses on phenomenological features such as illuminated glazed areas, show depth at openings, textures of historical and utilitarian materials, and seasonal plantings.
• Community engagement was sought in the design review process.
• The design reconnects an urban fabric interrupted by a parking lot through tighter setbacks and intentionally defined, scaled, and landscaped outdoor rooms.
• The design accommodates and promotes pedestrian site arrivals, while acknowledging the need for a parking lot for those with limited mobility.
• The design creates grand accessible entry points and connects to formerly non-accessible parts of the existing building, but also makes stairs prominent and desirable to user capable of navigating them.
• The fellowship hall is “on display” and “open-door” to the sidewalk, engaging passerbys.
• The building was designed with CMU exterior structural mass walls with the intent of lasting as long as its predecessor masonry buildings in Fort Sanders.
• Native plants were selected for the project to promote ecosystem awareness and understanding.
• High-quality, low-maintenance materials were specified, such as metal panels, CMU, and full-bed limestone.
• Permeable pavers were specified for the parking lot for increased stormwater retention.
• The design team reduced square footage in each phase of design, while maintaining the same general program. The result is a design that feels abundant in content and moments of delight but is not oversized.
• The building was designed to last 100+ years with resilient and redundant envelope systems like cavity walls, rainscreens, SIPs, liquid-applied WRBs, etc.
• Mass walls used for their energy storage / delayed radiation properties and general strength and resilience.
• The building massing and orientation are conducive to a future solar array.
• The fully glazed connector is passively ventilated and oriented to harness prevailing winds.
• The indoor-to-outdoor connection to sidewalks, the lawn, and the garden areas promotes interloping between these spaces for a balanced user experience.