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Explanation of Layout
This new plan more adequately addresses our needs, utilizes our existing facility better, and will provide a much better flow to our building. The most significant change to the plan is that the expansion will go to the south rather than to the east.
Fellowship
One of the primary needs we identified was the need for more space for fellowship after morning worship and potlucks or large functions at other times. The idea all along was turn the current sanctuary into the fellowship hall - which is still the plan. However, that space is still not large enough to host seated gatherings over 200 people. It was also brought to our attention that realistically people would not funnel through the narrow corridor that is currently the front door to go into the fellowship hall. This "bottleneck" almost eliminates the possibility of using that space for Sunday morning gathering.
The solution to that in the new plan is that we take advantage of the removable walls in the current sanctuary and open up both the current sanctuary and the current fellowship hall to make one big area which would include a café area for serving coffee and goodies after church. And to alleviate the "bottleneck" the architect has designed a Meeting Room that functions as a flow-through providing more access to the fellowship area, with the idea that people will more naturally flow out of the sanctuary into the gathering area and fellowship area. In order to use the removable wall, the direction of the expansion had to be changed. This new layout for our fellowship space makes better use of the existing facility and provides more of the space we need for fellowship.
Kitchen
In order to meet our fellowship needs, we also acknowledged our need for a more user-friendly kitchen. In the previous building plan we had the new kitchen where Pastor Steve's and April's offices currently are. In that design it would have been adjacent to the "bottleneck" into the fellowship hall. However, it was also brought to our attention that the location of the kitchen as it was would mean that the backside of the kitchen would be the front of the church. In upgrading the kitchen, we will need a large vent fan on the roof over the kitchen, so as you entered into church you would be looking at "the backside of McDonald's."
The previous layout also did not provide for a separate entrance to the kitchen area that would allow caterers or others to access it without being a disruption. It also did not provide for an easily accessible, yet discrete outside area for garbage collection and disposal. The current location of the kitchen is actually the ideal location for those two needs. The new plan utilizes the existing kitchen, rather than simply leaving it there and building a new one as the previous plan did.
While the current plan does not increase the size of the room for the kitchen, it does provide for more kitchen space by relocating many of the items that take up the most space. By adding the storage room and a walk-in cooler directly off the kitchen, the cupboards and refrigerator can be removed from the kitchen. The door to the kitchen by the outside door will be removed and made into a wall, where the dishwasher will go. The dish return will also be moved to that side of the kitchen so that it will be more easily accessible from the entire fellowship area. The current counter used for the dish return will then be able to be removed, which will provide even more working space.
The serving window will be turned into a wall as well, because the serving counter will now be in the café area. This new serving counter will also provide more outlets for heating and keeping warm any food items for potlucks, which will reduce one reason to have more people in the kitchen. All of these modifications will allow the kitchen to be much more user-friendly, have sufficient space for storage, separate access for caterers, and a discrete location for garbage. And we anticipate that it will reduce the overall cost incurred for upgrading our kitchen by making use of our currently existing kitchen.
Nursery
Since the current fellowship area will be turned into the café area, the nursery can no longer be there as we had in the previous plan. This is actually a much-needed improvement. We were already aware that one of the problems with the previous plan was that the nursery was not easily accessible from the sanctuary at all. A parent would have to walk through the entire fellowship hall (or go out the main entrance and come in the nursery entrance) in order to get to the nursery. We worked on several different ideas of how to make the nursery near the sanctuary, near an entrance, secure, and accessible during other functions as well. The current plan addresses all those desires.
The nursery is divided into infants and toddlers with one drop-off area for both. The infant nursery actually stays where it is now with only the addition of a door that will open into the toddler nursery. The nursery area will also include a changing table, a toddler potty, and an adult toilet so that those who need to use the restroom can do so without having to leave the nursery area.
The new plan provides the space we need for our children and the security to make sure they are safe and well cared for. Once again, this is a better utilization of our current facility and creates a better flow for our members and guests with children.
Education
Because of the changes in the fellowship areas and nursery, we are able to gain three additional classrooms, as well as the Meeting/Library Room and the Consistory Room. In the previous plan, we were able to gain two classrooms with the possibility of using the Green Room and the Consistory Room as classrooms. Those two rooms, however, were on the opposite end of the building from all the other classrooms. The current plan allows ten to twelve classrooms to be right in the same area. This again better utilizes our current facility and creates a nice flow for our Sunday morning educational activities.
Offices
On the previous plan, the church offices were located just off the sanctuary. The current plan places them off the fellowship space in direct sight of anyone entering the church. This makes them more easily accessible and hospitable, while still providing for privacy and confidentiality when necessary. Rather than having the Visitor's Center / Library on the opposite side of the building from the Main Office, the Meeting Room / Library is located right next to it, so that those who have to wait have a comfortable place to do so without feeling like they have to go far away.
The current plan also includes an area for storing files and other items that is readily accessible by each staff member. The Consistory Room is also readily accessible from the office area rather than tucked away at the end of the offices. The organization and layout of this plan provides for a better utilization of space and flow to each room.
Library
In both plans the library is placed in a multi-functional room (rather than a classroom like it is currently). The previous plan placed the library in the Visitor's Center off the main gathering area. The current plan places it in the "flow-through" Meeting Room with the intent that it will be more readily accessible and used since this will be a main passageway and near the offices.
Mechanical and Storage
The current plan uses the existing mechanical room rather than building a new room for another mechanical room in the addition.
It also provides several different storage rooms that will be specifically designated for the kind of storage that will go there (chairs and tables off the fellowship hall, toys and supplies in the toddler nursery, food and kitchen supplies in the kitchen storage, paper and files in the offices). The previous plan had three main storage rooms that could be used for storing anything. By placing each storage room in its useful context we will better utilize the space these rooms take up.
Restrooms
The current plan does not increase the number of primary restrooms. It does, however, add three specific-needs toilets. There will be a Family Toilet right off the coat room just before the Child Drop-Off area. And there will be the toddler potty and adult toilet in the Toddler Nursery. Because of the change in the direction we are building, the existing toilets are easily accessible from both the sanctuary and the fellowship hall. Since our current restroom facilities already exceed the minimum for the capacity we are building for, it does not make financial sense to spend money on building and plumbing additional restrooms. This again is an improvement from the previous plan in utilizing our current facility and creating a better flow for people, while still meeting our needs.
Sanctuary
Other than the location, the sanctuary was the item least changed from the previous plan. The only major modification was that there will be sufficient space behind the platform for storing music equipment when necessary, and rear access for performances and plays. Many of the specific details of the sanctuary will be discussed and decided as we get closer to the time of building and after the completion of our worship space study through the Worship Renewal Grant we received from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.
