Title: Emmanuel Episcopal Church
Location of Proejct: Athens, GA
Project Completion Date: 2016
Firm Name: Houser Walker Architecture

Short Description: Emmanuel Episcopal Church was first constructed in the 1890s in downtown Athens, Georgia. From their historically registered sanctuary building, their ministry and outreach to their community had outgrown several previous expansions. Our 30,000 sf expansion created a new ‘twin’ to the historic structures, completing outdoor communal spaces, creating new places to gather, worship, and support a variety of activities. Materially, our design approach creates a well mannered whole, uniting old and the new around common materials and forms that are tectonically expressed differently. Together, the two complexes form a back and forth conversation across time, culture, and generations of congregations.

Architect's Statement: Emmanuel Episcopal Church was founded in the 1890’s, with a sanctuary building and small supporting spaces constructed by members of the original congregation over a three year period. This aspect of the community coming together to craft their own environment held great appeal to our team.

Located in downtown Athens, GA, at a west end intersection that begins the demarcation of more residentially oriented neighborhoods, the church has long held a number of adjacent parcels that have remained undeveloped and ready to help fuel future growth.

Prior to this project, circulation in and around campus was neither intuitive nor accessible. Without a central congregating space, members had little opportunity to linger before or after church. The historic church is largely opaque, the existing narthex undersized, and circulation into the complex so diffuse that there was no clear relationship to the surrounding streets or interior garden spaces. Connecting the church complex, internally, as well as to Athens’ street life and neighborhood communities, was a primary concern for the congregation.

Programmatically, the Church needed new interior gathering spaces, a new vehicular drop-off that was accessible to the sanctuary, expanded office and meeting space, classrooms, choir rehearsal and storage areas, and a variety of related supporting functions. Practically, the only way to achieve the necessary area was to construct an addition on an adjacent parcel.

As an essential first step, the architects and building committee developed a project mission statement to serve as the foundation for group consensus and decision making:
“to adapt and enhance with respect Emmanuel’s historic campus to be more functional, intuitive, accessible, comfortable, welcoming, and uplifting in support of the growing community coming together for worship and fellowship.”

Our design response to this charge centered around three key drivers:
Creating a strong formal connection between the new addition and historic church fabric, including building forms, interior and exterior circulation, and the creation of exterior spaces.
Turning the church into a social condenser, with generous opportunities to gather, meet, linger, socialize, and come into community. This included providing a clearer connection to the main street the church sits on and providing outdoor spaces.
Materially continuing the legacy of Emmanuel’s historic sanctuary and creating difference through application, technique, and experience.

Our design creates a new 30,000sf ‘twin’ to the historic complex, similar in overall size, form, and material. We deliberately sought to have the addition read as a well mannered, distinct entity, capable of articulating its own presence but not trying to fundamentally alter the DNA of the original. This ‘twinning’ approach allowed for a more dynamic and subtle conversation to occur throughout the experience and detailing of the project.

Varieties of new social spaces were created on the main entry and street level, organized around new, internal gardens that provide orientation to the encircling circulation and core gathering spaces. The addition’s circulation straightforwardly connect all church spaces and points of entry, maximizing opportunities for people to bump into each other and socialize. A new chapel, intended to be open continuously, is positioned at the most public facing corner to become a primary visual and functional link between the church and Athens’ community. Generous quantities of glass in the chapel and narthex connect the activities inside the church to the outside, welcoming in the surrounding community.

Materially, we sought to maintain a material continuity and overall approach to solidity and durability that the original sanctuary possesses. Where we sought contrast was in tectonic expression, primarily through taking the ‘heaviness’ of the original sanctuary and creating a visually ‘lighter’ addition. Most evident at the chapel addition, our approach was to create distinction through subtle differentiation. Rubble granite is reinterpreted as a cut and flamed finish. Heavy cypress timbers are transformed into lighter composite trusses and light introduced from above. Distinct windows become larger expanses of glazing that sit between stone walls. The new narthex connects to the side of the historic church with a “light touch” to not alter its presence to the street. Every effort was made to preserve and express the authentic, historic fabric of the existing church at points where the new addition connects. The new narthex connects to the side of the historic church with a “light touch” to not alter its presence to the street.