Evangelical Covenant Church, Hinsdale

Located on a tight site in a mature neighborhood, this well-established congregation was looking to expand and renovate their facility. A master plan was undertaken to determine the best course of action with a goal of addressing existing infrastructure, expansion/reorganization possibilities, and budget concerns. The existing facility offered a number of challenges: (1) how to connect multiple levels of existing space with one elevator, thus making the entire facility accessible; (2) the need for a new weekday entrance (with the consolidation of the office-entry and parking access) that looked and functioned much better than the existing condition; (3) solving the awkward daycare entrance sequence and (4) fitting a new gymnasium/multi-purpose space into this tight site.

The main feature of the design is a new weekday entry with relocated church offices and a larger gathering space. Instead of being at the back of the site, the new entry, with drop-off area and some parking is adjacent to the street. The exterior massing of the entry has a scale that plays off the original church form just to the north. The higher and boxy mass of the gymnasium is placed behind the new entry architecture. Once in the building, the two-story gathering space is a light-filled atrium that acts as an organizing element and connects the existing worship, a new kitchen, the gymnasium, offices, meeting rooms, and other existing spaces.  The gymnasium is multi-functional and supports the pre-school program, youth and adult groups, sporting activities, banquets and can host a contemporary worship service. The project also includes new Pastor’s offices, meeting rooms, much needed accessible restrooms, and a renovated nursery room. A new pre-school drop-off/staging area is located toward the back with a re-worked parking lot with ample stacking space for car-to-daycare handoff and a waiting/dry area for the kids coming and going. In the existing building, a dual door elevator connects five levels and solves most of the accessibility issue.

• Firm: McBride Kelley Baurer

Role

Project Manager: Involved with the project from inception; act as the principal contact with the client and contractor; lead the project team and performed construction administration tasks.

More

For two similar projects, click on Trinity Lutheran Church or Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church. For information on other faith-based projects, visit my Projects Page.