Doubling the sanctuary size
by Jonathan McGaha | October 25, 2010 12:00 am
After its most recent expansion, the 220,000- square-foot (20,438-m2) Trinity Chapel Church in Powder Springs, Ga., features a sanctuary that seats 4,000 worshippers.
The expansion, completed in October 2007,is part of a multiphase master plan project that when complete will be a 335,000-square foot (31,122-m2) building. The first phase consisted of the 75,000-square foot (6,968-m2), 2,000-seat original sanctuary; phase two was a 12,000- square foot (1,115-m2) classroom building with prayer tower; phase three was the 52,000-square foot (4,831-m2) Christian school building for Trinity Chapel Academy; and phase four was the sanctuary expansion that included 80,000 square feet(7,432 m2) of new construction and 28,000 square feet (2,601 m2) of renovation, bringing the total to 4,000 seats. Future phases include a 52,000- square foot youth building and fitness center; 31,000-square-foot (2,880-m2) gymnasium and recreation building; and 32,000-square-foot (2,973- m2) preschool/children’s building.
The three story education center for Trinity Chapel Academy, a Christian school that currently houses grades 1 through 10, contains classrooms;a cafeteria; music and choir rooms; computer, art and science laboratories; fitness center; media center; administration offices and a gymnasium. The high school was started last year, with a grade being added each year.
The sanctuary expansion and renovation part of the original church building includes classrooms; video and audio recording studios; webcast studios; rehearsal and dance studios; nurseries; conference rooms; media duplication rooms; choir rooms; a bookstore; coffee shop/café; offices; expansive lobbies/gathering spaces; and a 70-foot (21-m) pedestrian sky bridge connecting the new sanctuary building to the education building. The sanctuary footprint was mirrored, doubling the seating capacity.
The performing-arts-style sanctuary is built in a semicircle with a 145-foot (14-m) clear span; sloped concrete floors; stadium-style balcony seating; catwalks with extensive theatrical lighting, including 130 intelligent lights; and audio and video systems capable of supporting high-definition satellite broadcasting and recording. The stage is flat with portable stands and multiple configurations to maximize flexibility from one service to the next and for various productions. Seating is movable and can be added or subtracted as needed.
Site work included 1,600 parking stalls, a radius drop-off canopy, outdoor fellowship areas and the pedestrian sky bridge.
Gulf States Manufacturers, Starkville, Miss., supplied the main building frame and roof for the sanctuary. Petra Architects, Powder Springs, was the architect; JTV General Contractors, Roswell,Ga., was the general contractor; and Proctor & Associates, Dacula, Ga., was the erector.
Gulf States Manufacturers
Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/projects/doubling-the-sanctuary-size/