[Editor's note: This story is from Church Designer's 2015 project archives.]
In fall 2008, the First Unitarian Society of Madison completed a major new addition to its Frank Lloyd Wright-designed National Historic Landmark Meeting House. Originally commissioned by the First Unitarian Society in1946 and completed in 1951, the Wright Meeting House has been hailed as one of the world's most innovative examples of church architecture. In 1960 the Washington, D.C.-based American Institute of Architects (AIA) designated it one of 17 buildings to be retained as an example of Wright's contribution to American culture. In recent years, the First Unitarian Society has grown to become one of the largest Unitarian congregations in the United States. This growth, along with ongoing architectural tours by visitors from around the world, placed increasing demands on the iconic structure.
Debating expansion options
Although now engulfed by the City of Madison, when erected, Wright's “country church” was sited on a sandy knoll overlooking university farmland and Lake Mendota. Encroaching development has significantly altered the surrounding landscape and hemmed in potential facility expansion. Overtures to move to a more expansive suburban location had always met resistance. Ultimately, the congregation wished to retain its intimate physical and emotional connection to Wright’s magnificent worship space. For nearly a decade the congregation debated the most appropriate course of action. As stewards of this historic building, the congregation wished to maintain the integrity of Wright's original design, provide space for expanded daily needs, and align construction with its deeply held environmental values.
Peer review process
Recognizing the historical significance of the original Meeting House, studio of record The Kubala Washatko Architects Inc. (TKWA) of Cedarburg, Wis., outside Milwaukee, convened a unique design peer review group comprised of nationally recognized Wright experts. The group met to identify key issues in the design of a new addition and to assess its impact on the historic building and site. Although TKWA was responsible for all design decisions, the peer review offered a valuable sounding board and confirmation of the appropriateness of major design choices. The peer review process also helped build consensus within the congregation and among the broader historic preservation community.
Ultimately, TKWA developed four key criteria that guided all design decisions:
• Build in the spirit of the original, yet refrain from historic mimicry
• See the Meeting House and addition as a coherent whole
• Use geometry that reinforces the iconic power of the landmark building
• Advance Wright's integration of buildings with natural systems
Design geometry
The success of the design lies in its geometry. In Wright's Meeting House, the diamond and triangle are dominant geometric shapes. These forms are repeated in endless variation, both large and small, throughout the original design. The TKWA design team concluded that a curve was the most simple and quiet gesture that could be made in response to the intense geometry already present on the site. The gently curving arc of the new addition keeps geometric focus on the historic Wright building and reinforces its iconic power. Together, the old and the new create a coherent whole.
Use of engineered wood
Rather than mimic Wright's original design, the new addition offers a contemporary expression of exposed glu-laminated wood structural beams and columns. The TKWA design team worked to exploit the inherent qualities of wood as both a structural and visual material in the most honest and direct way. Careful attention was given to design of connections between roof and column structural elements. Wood provides balance, warmth, and contrast to other contemporary interior and exterior materials—including board-formed concrete and metal—that were sympathetic to Wright's original design without duplicating it.
Levels of scale and intimacy
Wright designed the original Meeting House as an intimate space. An important project goal was to preserve this feeling in the new auditorium, despite a five-fold increase in size. The choice of wood as a structural system allowed more opportunities for introducing levels of scale in design that support a sense of intimacy. The wood and steel Queen Bow-Truss roof system creates a tighter rhythm and filigree of structures that enhance the intimate quality of an otherwise expansive interior space. The warmth and tactile qualities of wood were also an important consideration. Maple veneer plywood was chosen to contrast with structural elements and to create the interplay of natural daylight and artificial light.Careful attention was given to design and placement of interior wood details that diffuse and reflect sound to enhance acoustic qualities within the 500-seat auditorium. Wood provides warmth and response to create an outstanding natural acoustic environment for unamplified instrumental and choral music.
Bioclimatic design
Despite significant historic preservation and site constraints, bioclimatic design considerations [the design of buildings and spaces based on local climate—with the goal of delivering thermal and visual comfort] played a significant role in the evolution of the project. The northern building exposure offered abundant natural daylight and created an opportunity for floor-to-ceiling views back to the Wright Meeting House without adding significant cooling loads. Building overhangs provide maximum solar shading, and the western exposure was designed to minimize late afternoon solar gain.
A vision for water
This project achieved a significant environmental goal: The 20,000-sq.-ft. addition doubles the congregation's structural space while actually reducing impermeable surfaces on the site. Prior to the addition, severe storm water runoff caused localized flooding of neighboring properties. With the addition completed and landscaping established, virtually all storm water is now retained on site. This improvement is due to an ensemble of vegetative roof, rain gardens, bio-swales [landscape elements designed to remove pollution and silt from surface runoff water], and an underground water infiltration chamber
Energy & resourcefulness
The decision to transfer thermal loads via radiant floor heating and cooling, instead of through conventional forced air systems, was a significant factor contributing to overall building energy performance. Most HVAC systems move air around to maintain a constant temperature. Air, however, is much less energy-dense than water, which is significantly more efficient at transferring a unit of energy. Instead of [sending] zonal air to heat pumps, the HVAC system treats and supplies only the code-required amount of outdoor air to occupied spaces. The reduction in air volume transferred around the building means less ductwork and appreciably lower fan energy costs. By decoupling delivery of heating and cooling loads from ventilation needs, more fresh air can be provided to occupants at a greatly reduced energy cost.
Collaboration—key to success
Collaboration is the foundation of any successful design effort, but good collaboration can only occur when it is supported by the free flow of quality information. The transparency of process is even more critical when the project is as highly public and important as the First Unitarian Society expansion. This project demonstrates the integration of sustainable thinking and technical solutions in a forward-looking, historically sensitive, and beautifully crafted building that responds to the social needs and spiritual aspirations of those who enter.
Images © The Kubala Washatko Architects Inc./Zane Williams.
