[1]The Our Lord Christ the King community is proud of its deep connection. Unfortunately, their building did not reflect that connectivity. With three separate buildings—church, parish center, and school—the church was feeling the strain. As the Construction Manager [2] for the project, HGC worked with architects at Luminaut [3] to create a new addition that would bring the community together, physically and spiritually.
See other HGC projects for places of worship [4].
Situated in the beautiful and hilly neighborhood of Mt. Lookout, Christ the King had limited space on its lot, and part of that lot was a large hillside. A long outdoor staircase led from the Parish Center to the Church. By digging out the hill [5], new space was made available.
Hollowing out a hill is no easy feat. There was a lot of shale rock that needed to be hauled away. Not to mention, the church was still fully operable, with regular Sunday Mass as well as weddings and funerals. Add to that a private school with parents dropping kids off and picking them up three times daily, and you are looking at the kind of complex problem that HGC loves to solve.
To start, the approximately 47 foot tall retaining wall necessary to hold back what was left of the hill now doubles as one of the walls of the new space. And thanks to unceasing coordination between the parents, the church, and the construction team, the logistics were managed successfully. Superintendent Chris Craddock laughs, “There was no room for things laying around…you brought in the deliveries, and built it up right away.”
The final product created a central hub that allowed people to park in the parking lot, enter the building, and remain indoors while accessing all buildings. Along the way, the Christ the King community gained new gathering spaces, conference rooms, restrooms, classrooms, and even a new cafeteria for Cardinal Pacelli school.
The feeling of community and connection was strong as the parish celebrated the grand opening on September 21, 2018. It was not lost on anyone on the day before the first day of fall, that this addition could not have come at a better time. Being able to quick get indoors from the parking lot, and stay indoors no matter which building you are headed to? Perfect for when winter is coming.
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