Faith: Contemporary

FAITH CONTEMPORARY

LS3P is extremely passionate about working with Faith clients to design inspiring, timeless facilities for worship. Our significant portfolio of contemporary church designs is rooted in the heritage, values, and beliefs which make each faith community unique.

Using modern architectural details and tested forms, we are highly skilled at creating environments that are welcoming, inspiring and reflect the church’s brand. Nationally, we have completed over 400 faith-based projects, and we are honored by the trust our Faith clients have placed in our proven process, our commitment to design excellence, and most importantly, our client relationships.

Summit Church-Apex

400

faith-based projects

Forest Hill Church - Waxhaw

over

560

design awards

Established in 1963, LS3P is a multi-disciplinary firm offering architecture, interior architecture, and planning services to a wide variety of clients nationwide. Central to all regions of the Southeast with offices in the Carolinas and Georgia. LS3P is committed to bringing state-of-theart design, technology, and expertise of a strong regional firm closer to our clients on a local level. We have an excellent reputation for project success; however, we are most proud of our longstanding relationships, and the fact that over 80% of our work is for repeat clients.

The editor of DesignIntelligence has called LS3P “the most local of the global firms and the most ‘world-class’ of the locals.” LS3P brings a history of over 50 years of design excellence, with more than 550 design awards across diverse practice areas. With a mission to “engage, design, and transform,” we are deeply committed to the communities we serve. We believe in collaboration, innovation, and building lasting relationships with our clients.

Charlotte, NC’s Elevation Church, one of the fastest growing churches in the US, added the Ballantyne campus as their sixth permanent campus and global broadcast headquarters. The new worship facility resides on a 22-acre suburban campus and features a state-of-theart auditorium with stadium style seating for 1,850 in a U-shaped arrangement. This campus is the church’s global ministry for operations.

The massive façade is reduced to a human scale by means of coordinated reveals and horizontal aluminum extrusion accents. Defined curtainwall nodes at entrances and stairs are accentuated by flying canopies with metal panel finishes, sculptured steel columns and the signature Elevation Church orange color. A soaring 2-story lobby with glass curtain wall filters natural light deep into the building.

A focal point is the aluminum and glass monumental stair that leads to the balcony level.

The 2-story 75,000 GSF facility also houses a 17,000 SF children’s ministry wing for 500 children. The wing features breakout classrooms, two state-of-the-art children’s theaters, restroom and storage facilities. An AVL broadcast suite integrates the technology for the multi-media experience and telepresence broadcasts.

Amenities to support the headquarters operations are an executive suite, a tractor-trailer loading dock and private parking enclosure for staff and guests.

ELEVATION CHURCH BALLANTYNE

The Journey Church celebrated its first public worship service on Easter 2007 in a renovated supermarket, with 160 people in attendance. The congregation rapidly outgrew its original facilities and, with a current attendance of 1,300 people each weekend at multiple services, has expanded to a 40-acre campus in Fernandina Beach, FL. LS3P created a site design which featured an 800-seat worship center, a main lobby, administrative offices, and children’s ministry space. The team completed design and construction drawings in 60 days to accommodate an accelerated schedule, and the construction was completed in 6 months. By working with a contractor from the beginning of the design process and utilizing the Integrated Project Delivery Method, the team kept building costs below $100 per SF. (Photography: Ben Tanner)

THE JOURNEY CHURCH FERNANDINA BEACH

Located in the Charlotte, NC Blakeney Professional Office Park, Elevation Blakeney is a 35,000 SF, 2-story church housing a state-of-the-art 1,050 seat performing arts venue. The church’s design strategy focused on maintaining a conventional office structural grid in the event of a future conversion to office tenants, adapting to the existing office park vernacular while enhancing the worship experience.

The removal of 12,000 SF of the second floor slab allowed the construction of stadium seating for the performing arts space. Along with the 1,050-seat performing arts venue, this facility also houses an audio/video production suite, 2 children’s theaters, infant through 5th grade classrooms, and a central grand lobby with children’s check-in.

The exterior uses brick veneer, composite metal panel, EIFS and aluminum frame storefront, and curtainwall. Shared parking within the office development accommodates the building’s intense demand, while reducing the necessary land acreage.

ELEVATION CHURCH BLAKENEY

LS3P worked with legacy client Forest Hill Church to design their new satellite campus in Waxhaw, NC, anchoring the Cureton Lifestyle Center Development. The exterior design concept was to blend with the Cureton development and adhere to Forest Hill’s superior design standards.

This 44,562 SF campus offers its members a 950 seat auditorium with 225 seats on raised tiered seating, a 1,600 SF Children’s Theater with an interactive themed stage set and a 1,250 SF Children’s Art Studio with interactive media walls.

Additionally, there are dedicated high school ministry breakout rooms that offer teens meeting spaces and several different gaming options. The space also serves as a licensed charter school for weekday classes and has 2,500 SF of office space for administrative functions.

An AVL control room integrates the technology for the multi-media experience as well as a green room and a service and loading court.

FOREST HILL CHURCH WAXHAW

This addition and renovation to Charlotte, NC’s Freedom House Church greatly expanded the congregation’s education, children’s, and gathering spaces. The new design converted classrooms and an undersized foyer into a resource center/bookstore, café, and larger lobby for fellowship before and after the worship service.

A vibrant new children’s wing addition provides educational space for nursery, children’s, and youth programs. Bright colors, dynamic flooring, and unique signage help with wayfinding for children and parents alike.

Throughout the design, wood details provide a warm, rustic aesthetic which is combines modern elements and a timeless materials palette of stone, steel, polished concrete, and rough-hewn wood finishes.

FREEDOM HOUSE CHURCH CENTRAL

FREEDOM HOUSE CHURCH SOUTH END

This new 41,600 SF church transformed a former cineplex in Cornelius, NC into a state-of-the-art worship center for its growing congregation. As the anchor tenant for this revitalized development, the design re-energizes an underutilized facility, providing community space to engage the Cornelius and wider Lake Norman community.

The new church features a 1,200 seat auditorium with integrated audio/visual technology, and two 150 seat Children’s Theaters. The auditorium is the largest of its kind in the area, and will be available for community use outside of worship services. Elevation, founded in 2006, now occupies its 10th location as one of the fastestgrowing churches in the United States.

ELEVATION CHURCH LAKE NORMAN

This new worship facility creates the first permanent campus in the South Carolina upstate region for Elevation Church, one of the fastest growing congregations in the country. The 36,000 SF facility in Rock Hill, SC’s mixed use Riverwalk development houses an 1,150 seat auditorium, audiovisual suite, grand lobby, and children’s education space.

The Rock Hill campus is the church’s second prototype design, with a modular bay spacing which will accommodate potential conversion to industrial flex office space. The design reflects Elevation’s signature brand with vibrant colors, a lobby with high-impact sweeping curves and contemporary lighting, a state-of-the-art black box auditorium, and integrated technology throughout the facility.

ELEVATION CHURCH ROCK HILL

This young and growing fellowship in Charlotte, NC began in 1999 with just eight people, expanding quickly to a congregation of 600 regular attendees. In order to accommodate this rapid growth, LS3P designed a new 700seat worship facility which both reflects and compliments its surrounding neighborhood.

The project includes an elementary school auditorium and surrounding break-out space, and is designed for future expansion. The worship auditorium has a performance stage with rear-lit projection screens, and a new courtyard provides space for gathering and fellowship. The facility incorporated various building materials such as tilt-up concrete panels, masonry, and aluminum storefront.

CHARLOTTE SOUTH FELLOWSHIP

Cross Point Church believes that “Christianity is about relationship not religion”. In selecting a new location for their main campus, Cross Point chose to go deep into the city of Nashville, TN, where the greatest needs of the city are and the relationships with Christ are needed. The church bought a 115,000 square foot former electrical distribution warehouse and partnered with LS3P to transform the space into their new campus and “hub” for their branch campuses. Cross Point wanted to “create an environment where there are no masks” so the design focused on using raw elements such as exposed concrete floors and exposed concrete panels; even the lobby ductwork remains unpainted. The worship center holds 1600 people in flat floor and riser seating that is expandable to 2,200 seats.

CROSS POINT CHURCH

This new satellite campus for Savannah Christian Church in Statesboro, GA will provide expansion space for the rapidly growing congregation as well as a new geographic option for attendance.

Founded in 1964 in Savannah with 149 members, the congregation has grown to over 8,000 people across its 5 campuses. The first phase of the project will feature a 400-seat worship center with green room, decision room, children’s ministry spaces, and large outdoor gathering areas. Future phases of construction will include a 1,200-seat worship center and outdoor amphitheater.

The contemporary design of the Statesboro campus includes an expansive steel and glass central lobby and an exterior which makes use of metal panels, concrete, and masonry for a modern, industrial aesthetic.

COMPASSION CHRISTIAN CHURCH STATESBORO CAMPUS

Elevation University City is the fourth permanent campus location in the greater Charlotte, NC region for Elevation Church. Located in the heart of BECO South’s Innovation Park and former IBM Headquarters, Elevation strategically positioned themselves within the University City community.

The 38,000 SF facility houses a 1,200-seat auditorium, AVL suite, grand lobby and the 13,000 SF eKids experience consisting of two large performance theaters.

This campus design is dynamic, energetic and reflective of the Church’s culture and brand. It will become a prototypical model for Elevation as they expand permanent locations nationally.

This project transforms how Elevation members worship both in person and via their live feeds around the world through the building’s design, flow and cutting edge AVL approach. The contemporary church environment brings a new energy and life to the office park and surrounding community.

ELEVATION CHURCH UNIVERSITY CITY

This 1,200 seat worship center in Athens, GA provided a permanent space for a steadily growing congregation founded in 2005. In the spirit of environmental stewardship, the church reclaimed an abandoned “big box” store and retrofitted it for the church campus. LS3P designed a master plan for the 108,000 SF facility, as well as the first phase of construction, utilizing 48,000 SF. The plan is organized around a central gathering area which serves as the building’s hub and provides access to children’s and youth ministry spaces. Each ministry space features a large group meeting area with break-out rooms, while the youth area includes a gaming and lounge prefunction space for informal interaction.

ATHENS CHURCH

This new student center grew out of the church’s mission to emphasize the family by helping youth to find direction, explore life, and build quality friendships in a Christian environment.

The student center houses the Hanger, an auditorium, and an education complex. The Hangar is the “hang-out” space for the youth program, with an aircraft hangar curved-roof structure reminiscent of a 1940’s complex. The Hangar features a 3-on3 basketball area, an outside volleyball court and eating area, a fully functional cafe, gaming stations, a large screen TV area, ping pong, foosball, and an audio broadcasting facility.

An authentic T-28 Navy Trainer is suspended from the roof structure.

The stadium-seating auditorium accommodates 950 people and features acoustical decking, catwalks, lighting booth, professional video-production studio tied to the existing television broadcast facility, revolving stage, dressing rooms, green rooms, and backstage facilities. The education complex houses administrative offices, a computer lab, classrooms, break-out areas, and storage.

All program elements are connected by the Concourse, an open and dynamic streetscape that serves as a pre-function area for both the auditorium and the Hangar. The west entrance of the building boasts a circular ramp with plans for future water feature. The east entrance will bridge this building with the rest of the First Baptist Church campus in Spartanburg, SC, and utilizes a canopy system to provide shelter during inclement weather.

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH SPARTANBURG-HANGER

This renovation project for a growing church in Durham, NC converted 23,000 SF of disjointed classroom, warehouse, and office space into a vibrant, interconnected, secure kids’ ministry area.

New spaces include nursery and preschool classrooms for young children and large group spaces for elementary and middle school students. The large group spaces include ministry-centered theming, performance stages, and breakout space for small group sessions.

The middle school room is equipped with a café and gaming equipment to encourage interaction and build community among the students.

The interior design incorporates Summit’s brand and colors throughout the space including paint, carpet, and cabinets. Secure access to the area is through a single entry and exit point from the outside, and interior corridors were widened for better circulation.

World of Wow was theming consultant.

SUMMIT CHURCH BRIER CREEK

This addition and renovation project for Journey Church in Evans, GA, the fastest-growing church in its area, provided expanded space to accommodate the church’s programs and better connect its campus. A double-height 8,600 SF addition created a large gathering and lobby space to connect existing buildings, and will eventually link to a Phase 2 worship center accommodating 1,200 people. An 8,300 SF renovation included new stairs and an elevator for accessibility and egress, a new secure children’s check-in area, and upgraded children’s program and restroom areas.

The interior materials palette combines an industrial aesthetic of polished concrete floors and exposed structure with stone columns.

JOURNEY COMMUNITY CHURCH

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