UPDATE 06 - Architectural Sketches
by Stephen Wood
Hey all! I wanted to update you on how things have been progressing with our architects for 2531 E Lehigh Ave.
First off, I should introduce you to our architects! We brought on Hexagon Studio Architects to do our architectural work. We have particularly been working with Micah Hanson and Susan Feenan in their office.
We chose Hexagon for a few reasons. For one, they’re local. Their office is located right around the corner from the new building! You can find their office at the corner of Huntingdon and Tulip Sts. Additionally, their team has experience designing places of worship. They also have a track record of high quality work. Another reason that tipped is towards Hexagon was that their Principal, Micah Hanson, has decades of experience in thinking through zoning in the city, and even served as the zoning chair for the Fishtown Neighbors Association for a time. After working with them for a few months, our team has been impressed with Hexagon. Their team has brought to the table the unique combination of things you need from an architect: knowledge of building code, frankness about what is and isn’t possible, artistry in imagining the space, and passion in taking on this unique project. They’re great!
But that paragraph introduced another item to update you all on: who is “us” and “we” and “our team”? Let me introduce you to our architecture team: Laura Black, Colleen Etherton, Scott Hicks, Madison Klee, Justin Matulewicz, and myself. I put this team together to interface with the architects as we make decisions. I hoped to draw from various pools of expertise in our congregation: Justin is an architect himself; Scott knows the building better than anyone; Laura and Madison are artists; and Colleen knows better than anyone the architectural needs for kids' spaces. Our team has interacted a lot online and had two meetings with Hexagon to look at drafts. We have been lovingly arguing about bathrooms, classrooms, sanctuary design, and more. Know that you can contact any member of our team if you have suggestions or questions.
But let’s be real: you came here to see the drawings. Below, find the most recent sketches from Hexagon. Please note that Hexagon has given us considerably more professional drafts than what you can see here, but these sketches are based on our team’s most recent meeting with them. So, even though they are sketches, they are the closest we have come to the final draft. See the sketches below with a few comments from me.
This is the sketch of the first floor. The entrance would remain in the same corner as where the door is presently. From there, you would walk into a vestibule. Between the vestibule and the stairs, there would be a small section where you could see all the way to the ceiling of the second floor. The narthex would be the meeting point between the church and wider community; it is where we would have our coffee hours. Moving farther back, you will find classrooms, offices, storage, nursery, and a kitchenette. A small hydraulic elevator is at the back of the building. Also, there is a corridor to ensure that we have proper fire exits. Two individual bathrooms are along the back corridor.
Next, we have the second floor. After coming up a “grand staircase,” you will be at the back of the sanctuary. We estimate that we could fit around 180 chairs. At the back of the second floor, you can find a cry/prayer room, two more bathrooms, and the elevator.
Again, note that these are drafts. Our team has commented extensively on these and we anticipate changes coming.
Here are a few questions I have received from more than one person:
What is a narthex?
Something between a fellowship hall and a foyer. A common area. On Sunday mornings, people would stand in the narthex and talk and be able to hear the sounds coming from upstairs.
Where is the fellowship hall?
The building is around 7000 square feet. Sadly, we do not have space for a sanctuary, classrooms, offices, and a large, multipurpose fellowship hall. However, we are trying to find ways to maximize common space on the first floor. Likely, we would have to use the sanctuary space for meetings of over 30 people.
It seems like the kitchen is far from where we would be eating food together. Shouldn’t we move it closer to the narthex? Or other common spaces?
We are housing plumbing (incl the sink in the kitchen) close to the back of the building to reduce costs; that way, we don’t have to run pipes all the way from back to front in the building. Additionally, the walk from the kitchen to the narthex in this drawing is maybe ten steps. It’s not in another zip code. :)
Wouldn’t it make more sense to have bathrooms closer to the front of the building?
That would make it easier to access them, yes. But see my answer above on plumbing. Having the bathrooms bunched together reduces costs.
Explain how the classrooms and offices would work.
The current draft has space for one pastoral office, a small conference room, a nursery, a classroom for PreK, and a flex classroom space where we would have elementary.
How would security work for check-in and dropoff?
We are working on that. Presently, we expect there would be a bottleneck at the narthex where families would drop off kids. Then adults could come to individual classrooms (which would be behind Dutch doors) to pick up their kids after the service.
Are there men’s and women’s bathrooms?
Our present draft has four individual, unisex bathrooms. We are considering adding a family bathroom on the first floor to put near the kids’ classrooms.
Ok, there you have it! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know (swood@liberti.org). You are also welcome to reach out to any member of our architecture team. Really, no questions are dumb questions. These are drafts, not final, so now is the time to let your voice be heard! I for one value your input! I have received so many great questions already. We are hoping to finalize plans in the coming weeks.
Thanks all! Keep our architects and architecture team in prayer. I told Micah Hanson over lunch that I’m praying he would be like Bezalel from Exodus 36– that the Lord would fill his team with a spirit of intelligence and craftsmanship to build the sanctuary. Which, admittedly, is a weird thing to hear someone tell you at a lunch appointment. But I don’t care! :) I invite you to join me and pray that God’s Spirit would guide these men and women as they design a sanctuary for God, for our church family, and for our neighborhood.
-Stephen
