Emmanuel Episcopal Church

Emmanuel Episcopal Church

Emmanuel Episcopal Church was built in the 1890s in downtown Athens, Georgia. While the congregation loved their historic church, they also recognized that the facility needed functional improvements to enhance delivery of ministries and bring members closer to one another and the Athens’ community. The church engaged our firm to help plan and design changes to the campus. 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:

Project Mission Statement: 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.

to adapt and enhance with respect Emmanuel’s historic campus…

Repairs to the existing building restored historic assemblies where feasible and every effort was made to preserve the historic fabric of the church. Rather than adding a narthex directly to the front of the church, the decision was made to connect the new portions with a “light touch” to the side of the church to not alter its presence to the street.

Additions to the church were designed to reflect the spirit of Emmanuel without mimicking the architectural language. Historic portions were authentically preserved and the new portions reflect Emmanuel’s community today. The old and the new share common materials and forms that are used differently (cut granite in lieu of ruble granite; and larger glass openings in lieu of windows). The expansion sits beside the historic church like a well-mannered grandson with a confident presence of his own.

to be more functional, intuitive, accessible, comfortable,…

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 additions were organized around new, internal gardens that provide orientation to the encircling circulation and core gathering spaces which straightforwardly connect all church spaces and points of entry, maximizing opportunities for people to bump into each other and socialize.

Church administration was located centrally with views to all three main entry points. East of the new narthex, the grade was raised 5 feet to enable an at-grade, covered, accessible drop-off and ADA parking. Today, circulation is simple, intuitive and 100% accessible.

welcoming and uplifting in support of the growing community coming together for worship and fellowship.

The historic church is opaque, so the addition opens the church up to the City’s street life. A new chapel, open all hours, was positioned at the 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. Daylighting, materials, and details were conceived to create a sense of ‘lightness’ to stand in contrast to the darker church and represent the optimistic, uplifting spirit of the people of Emmanuel.