Kirksey designs "architecturally inviting" downtown renovation
HOUSTON, TEXAS -- Kirksey is proud to reveal the first look at Houston's First Bapist Church's downtown renovation, an architecturally inviting and modern take on an existing office building reimagined as a contemporary church campus meant to attract millennials living in Houston's urban center.
With Sunday attendance of more than 6,000 at The Loop Campus of Houston’s First Baptist Church on the west side near Memorial, the church had a need to expand their existing downtown campus. They recently purchased a 40,000-sf office building at 1730 Jefferson as an answer to engage the growing population of millennials living and working downtown. Lee Hsia, HFBC’s downtown pastor, will continue to lead the downtown campus.
“We told [Kirksey] we want to reach out to millennials,” senior pastor Gregg Matte told the Houston Chronicle. “We said, ‘Let’s make it architecturally inviting.’ It’s a pretty different-looking church building.”
The three-story multi-purpose campus will house a 700-seat congregation worship center, with office and classroom space on the upper levels.
Designed with the theme of “woven together,” the team at Kirksey created a more modern and non-traditional feel for the downtown building using linear “threads” that overlap and break above the building, representing the many paths of the church’s history and congregation that converge at this site. The Kirksey team revamped the drop-off area with a perforated metal billboard and canopy, as well as wrapped the lower band of the building in greenery. The brightly transformed building will become a beacon in south downtown.
The worship center is slated to open in early 2018.
CAPTION: Kirksey designed Houston’s First Baptist Church’s new downtown satellite campus, located at 1730 Jefferson. The design is a renovation of an existing three-story office building, and will house the church’s downtown congregation.
CAPTION: Exterior west façade with lower band of building wrapped in greenery.
CAPTION: Interior of downtown campus, in gathering area with lounge and café.
CAPTION: The design concept of “woven together” continues throughout the interior.
CAPTION: The worship center, continuing with the “woven together” design concept. The space will seat up to 700.
CAPTION: A rendering of the downtown campus, transformed to become an unexpected and unique beacon in south downtown Houston.