About Our Building Design and Renovation Project
Third Church has entered into a process of planning, vision-casting, designing, and dreaming about how our current building could better serve our current needs and future hopes.
Read on to learn more about this process and see the plans that have been developed as a result of our collaboration with architects and our ministry teams and congregation.
So far in this process we have...
Partnered with an architecture firm called Elevate Studios, which is based in Grand Rapids, MI, and specializes in walking alongside churches as they assess their current and future facility needs.
Click here to learn more about Elevate StudiosMet with the architects in various ministry teams and groups, such as worship, children's ministries, youth, facilities, hospitality, and more. These teams helped provide valuable feedback about the needs and desires of their specific areas.
Hosted a Building Design Workshop so that the entire congregation could participate in the discussion. We compiled our hopes and dreams for the future of our church and the use of our facility, and we compiled a list of Design Principles for the architects to follow as they drew up their plans.
Learn about the congregational workshopPresentation of Building Design Plans on April 23, 2023
We had a "grand reveal" of the plans hosted by Steve Fridsma from Elevate Studios. He explained the process of developing the designs and how these ideas may be realized in the future. If you missed the event, you can watch the recording here.
Master Plan Design Layouts
Site Plan
The overall site plan includes adding more handicap parking spaces and adding some green space at the end of our parking lot. The area labeled “future multi-purpose gym/kitchen” shows what may be possible down the road.
Upper Level
The Upper Level plans include moving the nursery to be next to the other children’s area and increasing security there. There is potential for more spaces to gather with others after church or during activities. A high priority is building restrooms and an elevator to achieve ADA compliance and make our building more accessible for all.
Lower Level
The possible changes to the lower level include elevator access and the connection of our two basement sections, which currently have two separate stairway access points.
Renovation Phases
This version of the Upper Level plan shows the possible different construction phases in order of priority. These potential renovations would not happen all at once, but the progress would be scaled and planned out according to what needs must be addressed first and as funds are available.
See What's Possible
Curious about what the building could look like at the completion of these plans? Check out these fantastic digital renderings created by Elevate Sutdios!
That's all for now!
Thank you for your interest in this process and the future of our facility! We will post updates and information on future developments here.