Dr. Frank Gagliano, pastor of South Haven Baptist Church, understands the importance of community connection. Although South Haven was an established and active part of its Springhill, Tenn., community, Gagliano led the decision to grow the church and offer even more space for people to use.
Vision
He and the church team met with Exoterra Architects based in Joelton, Tenn., and came up with plans to add a 28,000-square-foot adjacent church building to its school, which would extend its reach to those in the surrounding area. The new building would include a foyer, sanctuary, offices, classrooms, and an AV suite.
“They were looking for a place big enough to hold everyone in one service and a traditional-looking church, and had a $6 million budget,” says Peter Aylsworth, senior associate architect for Exoterra Architects. “We went through some extensive designs using 3D modeling and the final product is the third redesign we came up with.”
Renderings were complete in the summer of 2016, and work began about a year later, with the pouring of the slab for the new building.
"It’s a big box with a foyer on two sides of the sanctuary, and an L-shape foyer wraps around the sanctuary and leads to the hallways and classrooms." Peter Aylsworth, Senior Associate Architect, Exoterra Architects, Joelton, TN
“It’s a fairly traditional design with a lot of brick, and we have a gable with Greek columns out front and we turned that into a covered porch where people can congregate, and there’s a fountain in a little garden area,” Aylsworth says. “Functionally, they seem to love it. It’s a big box with a foyer on two sides of the sanctuary, and an L-shape foyer wraps around the sanctuary and leads to the hallways and classrooms."
Teamwork
A consultant was brought in to ensure the sound was acoustically balanced, and all new audio, video and lighting was added. Theatrical lighting was added to a catwalk above, an AV studio booth was added to the back of the sanctuary with a data hub, and wired to the stage and back stage.
“We had to coordinate how all of this went in so we worked with the acoustic consultant on the modeling so we could design the floor boxes and panels and know where the equipment would go,” Aylsworth says. “The stage is a concrete slab and the orchestra pit is in the middle of it, so we needed to make sure everything was in the right place before we poured that slab because there’s not a lot of retrofit possibilities once that happens.”
“The stage is a concrete slab and the orchestra pit is in the middle of it, so we needed to make sure everything was in the right place before we poured that slab because there’s not a lot of retrofit possibilities once that happens.” Peter Aylsworth, Senior Associate Architect, Exoterra Architects, Joelton, TN
In spring 2018 the project was completed and the congregation began enjoying the church’s new additions. The new sanctuary provides increased seating for more attendees, frees up the school gymnasium and boasts the largest auditorium venue in Springfield. In addition, the four new classrooms help the church expand its outreach efforts in the community.
“It’s a dual function. On Sundays, it operates as a Sunday school and church classrooms but during the week, it’s an expansion of their daycare,” Aylsworth says. “Everyone on this project worked well together and I think it was educational for the church. They hired an interior designer late in the game, which we proposed early on, and that ended up making it look really great.”
