Bellevue First Congregational Church
Bellevue First Congregational Church Lot Size: Building Size: Location: Project Type:
70,819 SF 48,926 SF Bellevue, Wa Renovation - Civic
Bellevue First Congregational Church One of the oldest churches in the exurban tech city outside of Seattle, the First Congregational Church congregation was established in 1896. Since the 1990’s, the church’s social service and congregational needs have been outgrowing their existing building and in 2013, the congregation sold their well-located downtown property, currently located on the central corridor in downtown Bellevue. Reinvesting, just on the edge of the downtown, just ½ mile away, the church adapts a classic lowrise suburban 1970’s office building into their future space of worship and community outreach. The strategic move assumes the city will grow to encompass their new site, ensuring future economic stability for the congregation. The adaptive reuse of a tired, commercial real estate building type into a spiritual space not only commits to ecological sustainability by reusing an existing building, but provides a twist on the broader national trend of converting our existing spiritual spaces into commercial uses. The architect converted a typical multi-tenant office space into a space capable of creating awe. Within the strict grid of the two-story building, the new form of the sanctuary was inserted, pushing out existing walls and roof, creating a new definitive form within the existing matrix. Delineation between the northern interior wall and ceiling was collapsed by using CLT, or cross-laminated-timber panels, as structure and finish material. The CLT panels are inserted as an irregular, folded plate structure insuring both greater structural stability as well as a rich interplay of light, shadow and the warm texture of the Canadian White Pine of the white-washed CLT panels. Shafts of skylights are inserted into this composite skin dissolving the edges of the 40’ high space through high northern light. The use of cross-laminated timber highlights the Pacific Northwest’s regional relationship to timber, reduces the project’s overall carbon footprint, and humanizes the cold sterility of the existing two-story ribbon-window stucco building. A new bell tower at the street edge of the site is scaled to announce the new use to the vehicular-oriented context and pedestrian visitor alike. The project was completed in March of 2016 on a very tight budget of $160/SF.
Concept model showing interplay of light on concept model folded wall. Daylight reflecting off the sanctuary’s folded cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels.
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I. View of new sanctuary, organ loft and belltower from main street entry. II. Original 1978 stucco-clad office building.
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I. Concept models exploring new sanctuary massing within existing building. II. Site plan showing new sanctuary inserted into existing building’s northwest corner. III. The new sanctuary rises above the original building. The fellowship hall, administrative and educational programs are kept within the existing building envelope.
Concept sketch of soaring sanctuary walls catching light. View in sanctuary towards east window skylight. Direct summer sunlight is reflected high off the undulating cross-laminated timber (CLT) panel wall.
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III I
I. Detail of skylights above CLT wall. II. Section highlighting the 37’ tall CLT wall. III. Plan showing location of CLT wall in sanctuary.
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I. Study model of sanctuary and belltower. II. The physical model functioned as a daylighting model and was tested to gauge the effect of the skylights and sidelights on the CLT wall. III. Interior view of the sanctuary model with glow of indirect lighting surrounding the CLT wall. IV. Digital daylighting model simulation.
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View of sanctuary in mid-June with diffuse indirect light coming through skylights. Daylight is also filtered through the colored glass window in the organ loft, brightening the metal pipes.
I
I. The new enclosed lobby provides a gathering space at the bronze legacy fountain, which was preserved from the old church. The fountain is highlighted with a bronze metal curtain and metallic paint finish on the original stucco wall. II. Original entry of 1978 stucco-clad office building.
II
I I. The interiors of the existing building were completely refinished, keeping within a cool color palette reinforced by the colored glass of the entry lobby, strips of felt wall covering and carpet tiles. II. Original interior vestibule of 1978 office building.
II
I
I. The building’s daylight-filled atrium was converted into the church’s fellowship hall, to provide a contrasting environment from the sacred nature of the diffusely lit sanctuary. II. Original atrium of the 1978 office building.
II
I.
The entry to the sanctuary from the fellowship hall is a low-ceilinged threshold, compressing the social space before entering the sanctuary’s light-filled section.
Simple materials in the atrium, including felt, homosote and wood panel grilles, contrast the hard reverberant materials of the sanctuary.
Placed right at the street edge, the new precast belltower with functioning bells is a visual and audible beacon to pedestrians.
The organ loft box guides visitors along the building and onto the path to the entry.
Along the NE 2nd Street traffic corridor in downtown Bellevue, the new church building transforms what was once a conventional office building into a space of awe.
70,819 SF 48,926 SF Bellevue, Wa Renovation - Civic
Bellevue First Congregational Church One of the oldest churches in the exurban tech city outside of Seattle, the First Congregational Church congregation was established in 1896. Since the 1990’s, the church’s social service and congregational needs have been outgrowing their existing building and in 2013, the congregation sold their well-located downtown property, currently located on the central corridor in downtown Bellevue. Reinvesting, just on the edge of the downtown, just ½ mile away, the church adapts a classic lowrise suburban 1970’s office building into their future space of worship and community outreach. The strategic move assumes the city will grow to encompass their new site, ensuring future economic stability for the congregation. The adaptive reuse of a tired, commercial real estate building type into a spiritual space not only commits to ecological sustainability by reusing an existing building, but provides a twist on the broader national trend of converting our existing spiritual spaces into commercial uses. The architect converted a typical multi-tenant office space into a space capable of creating awe. Within the strict grid of the two-story building, the new form of the sanctuary was inserted, pushing out existing walls and roof, creating a new definitive form within the existing matrix. Delineation between the northern interior wall and ceiling was collapsed by using CLT, or cross-laminated-timber panels, as structure and finish material. The CLT panels are inserted as an irregular, folded plate structure insuring both greater structural stability as well as a rich interplay of light, shadow and the warm texture of the Canadian White Pine of the white-washed CLT panels. Shafts of skylights are inserted into this composite skin dissolving the edges of the 40’ high space through high northern light. The use of cross-laminated timber highlights the Pacific Northwest’s regional relationship to timber, reduces the project’s overall carbon footprint, and humanizes the cold sterility of the existing two-story ribbon-window stucco building. A new bell tower at the street edge of the site is scaled to announce the new use to the vehicular-oriented context and pedestrian visitor alike. The project was completed in March of 2016 on a very tight budget of $160/SF.
Concept model showing interplay of light on concept model folded wall. Daylight reflecting off the sanctuary’s folded cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels.
I
I. View of new sanctuary, organ loft and belltower from main street entry. II. Original 1978 stucco-clad office building.
II
II
I
III
I. Concept models exploring new sanctuary massing within existing building. II. Site plan showing new sanctuary inserted into existing building’s northwest corner. III. The new sanctuary rises above the original building. The fellowship hall, administrative and educational programs are kept within the existing building envelope.
Concept sketch of soaring sanctuary walls catching light. View in sanctuary towards east window skylight. Direct summer sunlight is reflected high off the undulating cross-laminated timber (CLT) panel wall.
II
III I
I. Detail of skylights above CLT wall. II. Section highlighting the 37’ tall CLT wall. III. Plan showing location of CLT wall in sanctuary.
II
I
III
I. Study model of sanctuary and belltower. II. The physical model functioned as a daylighting model and was tested to gauge the effect of the skylights and sidelights on the CLT wall. III. Interior view of the sanctuary model with glow of indirect lighting surrounding the CLT wall. IV. Digital daylighting model simulation.
IV
View of sanctuary in mid-June with diffuse indirect light coming through skylights. Daylight is also filtered through the colored glass window in the organ loft, brightening the metal pipes.
I
I. The new enclosed lobby provides a gathering space at the bronze legacy fountain, which was preserved from the old church. The fountain is highlighted with a bronze metal curtain and metallic paint finish on the original stucco wall. II. Original entry of 1978 stucco-clad office building.
II
I I. The interiors of the existing building were completely refinished, keeping within a cool color palette reinforced by the colored glass of the entry lobby, strips of felt wall covering and carpet tiles. II. Original interior vestibule of 1978 office building.
II
I
I. The building’s daylight-filled atrium was converted into the church’s fellowship hall, to provide a contrasting environment from the sacred nature of the diffusely lit sanctuary. II. Original atrium of the 1978 office building.
II
I.
The entry to the sanctuary from the fellowship hall is a low-ceilinged threshold, compressing the social space before entering the sanctuary’s light-filled section.
Simple materials in the atrium, including felt, homosote and wood panel grilles, contrast the hard reverberant materials of the sanctuary.
Placed right at the street edge, the new precast belltower with functioning bells is a visual and audible beacon to pedestrians.
The organ loft box guides visitors along the building and onto the path to the entry.
Along the NE 2nd Street traffic corridor in downtown Bellevue, the new church building transforms what was once a conventional office building into a space of awe.
