a storefront church in chicago

BACKGROUND: An elder member of a small, 100 person church has just died and bequeathed $1,000,000 to the church. With these funds the congregation wishes to purchase a 50 ft x 125 ft city lot along a commercial corridor and build a small church.

VISION: The church has come to you to design a state-of-the-art worship facility that will be the benchmark for the neighborhood during the 21st Century. The church feels the new building will be a catalyst for neighborhood transformation. The form of the building and the use of materials should be forward looking while respecting the surrounding built environment. The building includes a Fellowship Hall that will serve as a banquet facility and will be available for private functions and six classrooms that will also be available for community use, requiring an entrance which does not require passage through the Sanctuary, although the Sanctuary should also connect to the Fellowship Hall so that after services, congregants can go directly to the Fellowship Hall without having to go outside.

program:

Sanctuary

150 seat chapel
Pastor and four assistants
Choir of 25 people
Baptismal Pool

Fellowship Hall (will be used for private functions)

Space for 200 diners
Separate entrance

Kitchen (adjacent to Fellowship Hall)
Full banquet cooking facilities and food storage

Classrooms (classrooms shall have private entrance)

Six classrooms - capacity 20 people each

Administration

pastor's office and bathroom w/shower
accounting office for two persons
office space for two assistants and waiting area
conference Room

Ancillary Spaces

Restrooms - use Chicago Building Code to determine number of WCs, urinals, and lavatories required for men and women.
Stairs - if multi story building - need minimum of 2 stairs
Elevator and elevator machine room is required if multistory building.
Storage and Mechanical spaces - could be located in basement, but elevator and stairs would have to serve them, also.

Exits - minimum of 2 from each room in which there are more than 50 people, minimum 2 from the first floor, and minimum of 2 from the building - one of the two required stairs must exit directly to exterior without passing through any of the first floor rooms.

Parking

parking spaces will be provided on a nearby lot.

Restrictions

City of Chicago building code and zoning ordinance shall apply

50% of the street facade must be abut the property line

Maximum floor-to-floor height is 16'

Maximum building height is 50 feet (height is measured from grade to average of roof height)

Maximum distance from front of altar to rear pew shall not exceed 60 feet.

There must be a grade level entrance to building - no exterior stairs are permitted.

project methodology

step 1: Analyze the site and do a site influence diagram to determine the best location and orientation for the building and outdoor areas.

step 2: Bubble diagram of functional requirements

step 3: From bubble diagram and site influence diagram, form a "concept" for the solution.

step 4: Develop the plan of the building based on the bubble diagram and concept.

step 5: Provide required and desired fenestration, and develop section and elevations.

step 6: Develop a form for the building based on the plan and section and elevations.

step 7: Modify plans as necessary to fit the form. Make sure program is still met.

required presentation

site plan, 1" = 20'-0"
bubble diagram, 1/8" = 1'-0"
plan(s), 1/8" = 1'-0"
sections, 1/8" = 1'-0"
elevations, 1/8" = 1'-0"
written description of philosophical basis for design mounted on one of the boards.

Model

required media

drawings: CADD plot wrapped on or glued to 20" X 30" Foam-core board (horizontal format), drawings must be colored with prismacolor pencil or markers; show furniture, seating, and people (section and elevations); interior and exterior plantings.

model: 1/8" = 1'-0" bristol board or pulp board on Crescent Board base