Home > Church Products and Services > Building & Transportation
Your Church, July/Aug 2000
Building
& Transportation
Up, Up, or Away
Creative tips on how to make
the most of your landlocked situation
John R. Throop
First
Church was outgrowing its landlocked 1950s-era facility, once on the city's
edge but now at its center. The solution? The congregation voted to sell the
property and erect a multimillion-dollar facility on a 40-acre campus at the
new edge of the growing city.
Many churches have a space
problem, but not everyone can get up and leave like First Church did. Some churches
can't afford to move. Some won't move, choosing to continue ministering where
they are in the heart of the city. Even if one church moves, another may purchase
the vacated facilities and want to make improvements.
Such churches shouldn't
give up their hopes of expansion. There are many good and sound options for
churches to build in tight spaces. There are also some pitfalls to heed be fore
calling in a construction crew.
One Church's
Solution
The leaders of Clarendon
United Methodist Church in Arlington, Virginia, realized that their facilities,
which included a sanctuary, a social hall, a three-story connector building,
and a three-story education wing, had some problems.
People found it difficult
to pass between the sanctuary and the social hall beneath. The vintage 1940s
rest rooms couldn't handle the needs of a 21st-century congregation. Stairs
everywhere made access difficult for people with impairments. And the 20-year-old
elevator was so small it could not accommodate a wheelchair.
The church's building committee
wrestled with options for improving the facility. The congregation wanted to
continue ministering in its current location, but there was no space left for
traditional expansion. Renovation would be too costly. So, with the congregation's
support, church leaders decided to tear out the connector building and start
over. The new structure now includes a more accessible entry, a large elevator
that will accommodate a wheelchair, and updated restrooms. It also offers ground-level
en trance to the sanctuary and social hall. Every possible square inch of the
property is being used.
More
Creative Ideas
Some landlocked churches
have improved their facilities by joining the L-shaped corners of a building
and adding canopied entrances or large foyers where people can gather. Some
have used small open spaces between buildings to add meeting rooms or offices.
Still others have built narrow gymnasiums or multipurpose rooms.
But, as Sam Harmon, president
of S.R. Harmon Contracting Company, notes, "There's no miracle cure. There's
only so much space and there's only so much you can do with it." He recommends
creating multiuse space, using a sanctuary for classrooms before or after worship
services. Movable partitions are helpful with this arrangement, he says.
Though Harmon doesn't normally
recommend having a basement, adding one can be an option for new construction
in a tight spot. If your church is built on a slope, a walkout basement may
work well, he says. Having multiple floors above ground is another option, although
building above and below can be problematic.
New construction with preengineered
structures can solve some limited-space problems because it will be single-level
and have a clear span for maximum space use. "Some churches can put up a simple
space with minimal site prep and reconfigure down the road," says Jim Avery
of Sprung Instant Structures. There can be economies in spans with modules as
small as six feet, adds Wayne Nowlan, staff architectural consultant to Morton
Buildings.
David Malone of Ceco Building
Systems suggests 20 feet as the minimum building width to be economical. He
also says the building should be freestanding. "We don't want to interrupt any
existing design in a building, so we suggest that the addition not connect,"
he says.
"Often, you have to consider
a fire separation between two buildings to satisfy a local fire marshal," Nowlan
adds.
By redesigning a site plan,
renovating, adding a narrow structure, or modifying the use of existing buildings,
churches can make good use of every part of their campus.
Beware
the Difficulties
Before committing
to a redesign, reconstruction, or enlargement of existing facilities, churches
should be aware of problems that will affect that decision. Some of the problems:
• Building restrictions.
"My first question always is, 'What are the site limitations?'" says Richard
Colavita, national church planning director for Myler Church Building Systems.
"A thousand acres won't fill up, but three acres will in a moment." He says
a church must be clear about whether its vision is for growth or maintenance.
If it's growth, there are limitations on what a site will handle. He suggests
allowing 125 people per acre in a single gathering format.
That rule of thumb won't
hold if a church is determined to build where it is, however. "Quite often the
church is locked in, but it will build anyway," says Darrell Eggleston, president
of Century Builders. "It doesn't solve all the problems, and it doesn't help
with long-range planning."
• Parking problems.
This is a huge issue for a landlocked church. "The number-one factor for the
unchurched is parking," Colavita says. Most churches require one parking space
for every 2.5 sanctuary seats. That ratio is a little lower in Florida and California
and higher in urban centers. Allow 30 percent more parking if your church is
in a growth mode.
Churches must ask if expansion
efforts can be supported by parking, not only be cause people require it but
because many communities have specific zoning regulations for public-assembly
facilities. Consider setbacks from streets and sidewalks and landscaping in
any plans as well, since zoning ordinances govern these elements.
• Building codes.
All new construction or renovation of existing facilities must conform to today's
building codes (even if the old structure predated such codes). That includes
makes a building more accessible for the disabled. As Colavita warns, "There
have been many changes in codes over the years, and it could be a nightmare
bringing existing space up to code." Renovating a turn-of-the-century building
could be more expensive than starting from scratch. "If you're forcing it, be
prepared for surprises," says Eggleston.
• Limits on building
up or down. Zoning restricts expansion of an existing facility in terms
of floor area ratio and height, warns Larry Cook, principal architect of Lawrence
Cook Associates in Falls Church, Virginia. A fully built church may have little
expansion leverage if it already has maxed out its square footage allotment.
Adding a basement doesn't
count in a floor area ratio, Cook says. But since communities typically require
children's activities to be above ground in case of an emergency, a basement
may not be that useful.
As for height, most suburban
buildings are restricted to 35 feet, or three stories, especially in residential
areas. In a city, a church could choose to go higher. St. Bartholomew's Episcopal
Church in New York City considered building an office tower that would house
parish offices and generate cash flow. The problem? Building up requires purchasing
air rights above a facility, and those rights usually belong to the city. After
finding out what air rights would cost, St. Bartholomew's decided to abandon
the idea of building up.
Adding more floors to an
existing structure also requires wider, more numerous staircases, says Mark
Ryczek, president of Threshold Design and Development. "You also have to think
of more exiting opportunities," he adds. "There are design challenges in getting
people to grade for direct exterior exits." Two to three hundred square feet
of a building may be taken up with staircases in each corner, adds Sam Harmon.
That's 800 square feet or more of space at about $80 a square foot.
• More problems.
Other issues must be addressed to comply with zoning. "Your sewer lines might
not be adequately sized, so if you're expanding the restrooms, that may be a
problem," Ryczek says. "The sewer system in the area may not support greater
loads." Older buildings may also present problems such as asbestos removal and
the proper stripping of lead-based paint so that potential toxins are not released
into the rest of the building.
A Bigger
Vision
In the end, building in
a tight space re quires expanding a church's vision. "Ask yourself, 'If money
and space were no object, what does this facility lack that I would fix?'" Colavita
says. It might be the sanctuary, which inhibits freedom in worship. Or the outmoded
educational facility. Or the connecting building, which houses utilities such
as restrooms, elevators, and stairs. What would be transformed if a tight space
were better used?
"Most of all, you need
to have consensus on where you're headed," Colavita says. "Don't have a professional
come in and try to create the vision. The leaders need to put time into prayer
to seek God's will for serving the community. The planner can recommend what
facilities will be needed to get there." With that kind of guidance, a church
can turn a tight squeeze into a perfect fit for a long time to come.
John R. Throop
(jthroop@concentric.net)
is a management consultant. He is also pastor of Christ Church Limestone near
Peoria, Illinois.
helpful
resources
Copyright © 2000 by the
author or Christianity Today International/Your Church Magazine. Click
here for reprint information on Your Church.
July/August 2000, Vol. 46, No. 4, Page 26
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