First Baptist Church Forney, Forney, Texas
It was a huge, complex undertaking, and Keith Shaver, chairman of the technology committee of First Baptist Church Forney in Forney, Texas, knew it.
How could they provide lighting, video and audio for a new seven-day worship/community center capable of seating 2,000 for worship, hold two gyms and a walking track, while supporting campus-wide audio and video feeds?
“Our church technology team vetted several vendors recommended by the architects, and were not pleased with the information or options presented,” says Shaver. Further, Shaver reports that the church had been disappointed in an earlier AVL project, leaving them open to new approaches.
A chance meeting on an airplane ride provided the First Baptist team with that new approach. “God provided a providential opportunity to meet a principal at CSD and, in the process of an airplane trip sitting side by side on the way to a trade event, we discussed the design-build concept and, in particular, the design-build AVL contractor Custom Sound Design (CSD),” Shaver says.
Design methodology
Shaver’s team was familiar with design-bid-build, a traditional approach where a project is designed, then let out to bid to various vendors before construction. Design-build collapses that process because one firm handles all aspects of the work from design through completion.
“For this new building, the building team continued to follow the design-bid-build concept for the building, but from the AVL perspective we followed the design-build model and are very pleased with the results of that decision,” Shaver says.
Design-build is a process that is usually negotiated and can result in savings of 8%-10% on a project, reports David McCauley, principal consultant with CSD, based in New Haven, Ind. For First Baptist Forney, additional savings meant they could realize more of their ambitious plans.
The initial church budget was $600,000, but when they met with several AVL contractors, estimates ranged from $800,000 to $2.4 million. “We really liked the CSD solution in the range of $1.8 million, but -- ultimately working with CSD on equipment and capability tradeoffs -- we decided on a design in the range of $1.2 million,” notes Shaver.
Multi-task space
Because the project included both a cardio and a weight facility as well as a worship area, “It raised some complexities,” says McCauley. “How does this work as a small space? How does this work as a large space?” The design needed to provide adequate lighting during different uses, changes in lighting to meet those needs, and the need for smooth functioning during the entire process.
The design needed to provide adequate lighting during different uses, changes in lighting to meet those needs, and the need for smooth functioning during the entire process.
CSD also made sure to keep the church up to date on new equipment as the project went through the 18-month process. CSD told the church “to expect new models with greater performance to be available at similar price points,” says Shaver. “That meant we would have [the best solution] on opening day – not one designed and installed with 18-month-old products. The selection process allowed us to provide suitable product options, which ultimately matched our budget.”
AVL attributes
The final project included a large 25-foot by 14-foot LED Vanguard wall and two side laser projectors and screens, a 42-channel Allen & Heath audio board for the front of house (FOH), and full video broadcast capability including cameras, switchers, monitors and both live control and video/audio mixing. In addition, the church also wanted the system built so that it could provide options to accommodate growth.
McCauley pointed out that the design-build process has added flexibility to modify various elements as the project evolves, as opposed to the need for a series of change orders, a common method used to make building adjustments under a design-bid-build process.
Project viability & teamwork
So, did the design-build process work?
“Absolutely,” Shaver says. The Texas church’s selection of CSD was reinforced when McCauley came to the church during services to get a feel for how they worshipped, to ensure those vital dynamics could be reflected in his firm’s work, Shaver adds.
The Texas church’s selection of CSD was reinforced when McCauley came to the church during services to get a feel for how they worshipped....
For McCauley, though, that’s part of the process. “They need to find people they trust, people who have the values they have.” It can create a synergy that can be a component of the design-build process, where the firm is not only in complete charge of the project but also is solely accountable for its success or failure.
In the design-build process, “Ultimately, it comes back to trust,” McCauley says. For Shaver, the trust was well placed. “I can honestly say [that] the technical lead, Peter (Herb) who was on site during the installation, simply went above and beyond with support for our church.”
In this case, CSD worked closely with the church’s overall architectural firm, HH Architects in Richardson, Texas, north of Dallas. HH project manager Mitch Harding found that design-build provided a solid continuity to the AVL project. The firm provided on-site support from their project’s beginning all the way through to the finish.
“Overall, that was a really good way to do it,” Harding says. “It worked great and was a good value.”
Since the opening of the new building in 2019, the church has seen its average Sunday attendance increase to 1,437, a 16.5% increase, and its annual giving grow by $300,000, a 10% increase. Says Shaver, “It was an outstanding solution.”
