Text description provided by the architects. The Iglesia des Nuestra Senora des Guadalupe project is composed of a 5,000 square foot addition to an existing church and site renovations. On the inside, the addition’s layout provides a new entryway, narthex, and sanctuary for the congregation. On the outside, the site plan strategy and exterior building form provide a visual anchor for the site and reformulate the arrival sequence with a new centralized entryway that serves as a hinge between the liturgical and social program spaces inside the complex.
This project was completed using the Design-Build system in which STL was engaged to perform all architectural and contracting services, responsible for the project from initial design to execution of construction. This service represents a change from the more commonly practiced Design-Bid-Build system in which the architect is responsible for the design of a project, but not its construction. This system provides cost savings for the client at the expense of control over the design. Depending on the clients means and needs, Design-Build can help a client realize a project despite an otherwise impossible financial position.
Notwithstanding the cost savings entailed in Design-Build, the budget for this project represented a significant design challenge. Refining the overall design down to a few basic elements composed of inexpensive materials, and utilizing those elements for maximum effect, required considerable effort for both the architectural and contracting teams inside of STL. As a result of this effort, the interior is composed of a finished concrete slab and exposed wooden roof structure. These durable, common materials were detailed and built with great care by both the design and contracting teams in order to reveal their noble qualities. The result is a refined space capable of meeting the liturgical needs of the congregation at a very low cost.
