Sacred synergy achieves goals for religious education [2013 Building Team Award winner]

Columbia Theological Seminary, just east of Atlanta, offers graduate degree programs and continuing education for professionals and lay people in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Devoted to the spiritual growth of students, the seminary’s Vernon S. Broyles Jr. Leadership Center features a modern new classroom facility plus a renovation of the adjacent Simons-Law building, a historic dormitory built in 1932. The project represents a successful collaboration between the owner and other Building Team members—fitting for an educational institution that ranks teamwork and cooperative decisionmaking among its core values.

The original master plan called for the demolition and replacement of Simons-Law. But team members Lord, Aeck & Sargent and New South Construction saw the building as important to the campus, and presented stakeholders (including donors) with a detailed cost analysis that compared new construction with an addition/renovation. They convinced the client to retain the historic structure. Smaller spaces such as offices and seminar rooms would be reprogrammed into Simons-Law, and a 16,000-sf L-shaped addition would house large lecture halls, high-tech seminar rooms, the campus bookstore, a media center, informal study spaces, and a gallery concourse devoted to religious artifacts.

To rehabilitate Simons-Law, the team replaced lighting, HVAC, plumbing, exterior windows, and interior walls and doors. Roof shingles were replaced with synthetic slate, and the structure’s brick and cast stone walls were cleaned and repaired.

The architect also took care to ensure the seamless combination of the Gothic building with its new neighbor. An arcade links Simons-Law’s iconic arched passageway with the new building, creating a cloistered courtyard that also functions as an outdoor classroom.

Daylighting was a concern for the large classroom spaces in the addition, which were outfitted with high-tech A/V systems. The goal was to minimize use of artificial lighting while also avoiding the need for motorized shades. After careful study, the architect, A/V consultant, and CM created a classroom environment that makes excellent use of natural daylight while also ensuring that students will be able to see projections.

Other sustainable strategies included construction of a cistern, allowing rainwater to be collected for irrigation; a new energy-efficient variable refrigerant flow mechanical system; and the harvesting of wood on-site for flooring. The efforts paid off in a successful bid for LEED Gold certification.

The focal point of the project, melding old and new construction, is a neo-Gothic glass-and-brick tower that welcomes visitors to the center. With flooring made from a tree that once stood where the tower was built, this element was designed to unite all aspects of the project. The Building Team provided appropriate structural support for a planned belfry carillon, which will ring chimes for future generations of leaders as they make their way across the scenic campus.

Project summary

BRONZE AWARD

Columbia Theological Seminary

Vernon S. Broyles Jr. Leadership Center

Decatur, Ga.

BUILDING TEAM

Submitting firm: Lord, Aeck & Sargent (architect)

Owner/developer: Columbia Theological Seminary

Structural: Uzun & Case Engineers

MEP: AHA Consulting Engineers

Program manager: Morgan Constructors

A/V consultant: Waveguide Consulting

Construction manager: New South Construction

GENERAL INFORMATION

Project size: 36,500 sf (16,000 sf new + 20,500 sf renovated)

Construction cost: $8.2 million

Construction time: February 2011 to January 2012

Delivery method: CM at risk

Denver’s e-bike voucher program that helps citizens pay for e-bikes, a component of the city’s carbon reduction plan, has proven extremely popular with residents. Earlier this year, Denver’s effort to get residents to swap some motor vehicle trips for bike trips ran out of vouchers in less than 10 minutes after the program opened to online applications.

Laboratories | Apr 12, 2024

Life science construction completions will peak this year, then drop off substantially

There will be a record amount of construction completions in the U.S. life science market in 2024, followed by a dramatic drop in 2025, according to CBRE. In 2024, 21.3 million sf of life science space will be completed in the 13 largest U.S. markets. That’s up from 13.9 million sf last year and 5.6 million sf in 2022.

Cassidy on Canal, Chicago - designed by SCB

Multifamily Housing | Apr 12, 2024

Habitat starts leasing Cassidy on Canal, a new luxury rental high-rise in Chicago

New 33-story Class A rental tower, designed by SCB, will offer 343 rental units.

Auburn University new first-year student residence 2024

Student Housing | Apr 12, 2024

Construction begins on Auburn University’s new first-year residence hall

The new first-year residence hall along Auburn University's Haley Concourse.

K-12 Schools | Apr 11, 2024

Eric Dinges named CEO of PBK

Eric Dinges named CEO of PBK Architects, Houston.

Construction Costs | Apr 11, 2024

Construction materials prices increase 0.4% in March 2024

Construction input prices increased 0.4% in March compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices also increased 0.4% for the month.

Rendering of LA General Medical Center Restorative Care Village

Healthcare Facilities | Apr 11, 2024

The just cause in behavioral health design: Make it right

NAC Architecture shares strategies for approaching behavioral health design collaboratively and thoughtfully, rather than simply applying a set of blanket rules.

K-12 Schools | Apr 10, 2024

A San Antonio school will provide early childhood education to a traditionally under-resourced region

In San Antonio, Pre-K 4 SA, which provides preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, and HOLT Group, which owns industrial and other companies, recently broke ground on an early childhood education: the South Education Center.

University Buildings | Apr 10, 2024

Columbia University to begin construction on New York City’s first all-electric academic research building

Columbia University will soon begin construction on New York City’s first all-electric academic research building. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), the 80,700-sf building for the university’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons will provide eight floors of biomedical research and lab facilities as well as symposium and community engagement spaces.

Currently Reading

Sacred synergy achieves goals for religious education [2013 Building Team Award winner]

Tags

Codes and Standards | Apr 12, 2024

Urban Planning | Apr 12, 2024

Laboratories | Apr 12, 2024

Multifamily Housing | Apr 12, 2024

Student Housing | Apr 12, 2024

K-12 Schools | Apr 11, 2024

Construction Costs | Apr 11, 2024

Healthcare Facilities | Apr 11, 2024

K-12 Schools | Apr 10, 2024

University Buildings | Apr 10, 2024

Most Popular Content

Magazine Subscription

Get our Newsletters

Follow BD+C: