Places of Worship

PLACES OF WORSHIP

SRBR has a rich history of designing meeting places for people of faith, including new buildings, additions, and renovations. The following is a sampling of our experience in this area.

New Psalmist Baptist Church, Baltimore, Maryland

This project entailed a new 2,000 member Baptist church located on a very tight site in Baltimore City. The church is nationally recognized, and the Sunday morning services are nationally televised. The project was a complex building with a very large sanctuary, offices, and meeting rooms on the main level, a fellowship hall below the sanctuary, and a full production commercial kitchen under the offices and meeting rooms. SRBR originally designed a four-pipe system; the owner requested that this be value engineered to a two-pipe system, which was subsequently designed by SRBR. Central boilers and air-cooled chillers were located to minimize noise transmission to the occupied spaces, while maximizing the energy used to heat and cool the facility.

Christ Church of Manor Woods, Rockville, Maryland

This project consisted of renovations and additions to an existing two-story, 26,000 square foot structure, originally built in the early 1960’s. SRBR evaluated the existing MEP systems, and based on this, recommended and designed replacements/updates to selected air-conditioning, ventilation, plumbing, power distribution, lighting, and controls throughout the facility. Additionally, a new fire service entrance and sprinkler system was installed, and the existing fire alarm system replaced in its entirety with a new voice evacuation type.

The project was designed for phased renovation, to permit continued use of the facility throughout the construction process.

St. John the Evangelist Church, Columbia, Maryland

Renovations to the main lobby/narthex, chapel, meeting rooms, café, and support spaces, totaling nearly 12,000 square feet, were made to this Interfaith Center in Columbia. Although the footprint of the existing narthex was large, it had a very low suspended ceiling, which made the space feel confined and cave-like. The ceiling was removed and replaced with an open grid framework, with suspended linear and pendant mounted lights, giving the entire narthex a much more open and inviting feel. A café, water feature, and in-floor uplights were also installed to further enhance the space. Additional renovations included reconfiguration of the meeting rooms, pantry, restrooms, and music room. A hospitality room with three removable partitions was also built, to provide flexibility for the end users.

Roland Park Presbyterian Church, Baltimore, Maryland

SRBR designed MEP renovations to this existing historic church, including reconfiguration of classrooms, nursery, fellowship hall, and hospitality space, and provision of a new elevator. Additionally, several separate stairs were consolidated into two main interior stairwells, each running from the basement to the Second Floor. The total area of renovated spaces was approximately 13,500 square feet.

Energy efficient Variable Refrigerant Volume units were installed in areas without air-conditioning, or to replace older HVAC units. Existing lighting throughout much of the facility was replaced with efficient LED fixtures, with occupant sensing lighting controls. New exit signage & emergency lighting was also installed.

Saint Peter the Apostle, Sappington Hall, Libertytown, Frederick County, Maryland

Sappington Hall (circa 1890) was originally constructed as a rural community building. Programming updates by the local congregation required a complete renovation building. The heating system was replaced and air conditioning added. Toilet rooms were upgraded for accessibility needs and the site was graded for access. The electrical system was also replaced in its entirety, and multi-level lighting with dimming capability was installed in the main hall. A fire alarm system was added, to include smoke detection throughout the building, and 24-hour remote monitoring.

Grace United Methodist Church, Baltimore, Maryland

Grace United Methodist Church was renovated, and an addition built, with a total of 35,000 square feet of interior space affected. SRBR designed the mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems for the new addition and the renovation, including a new cooling plant to provide air conditioning, expansion of the existing heating systems, and a fire alarm system. SRBR’s design of the HVAC and fire alarm systems were very cost effective, and dramatically improved the health and welfare of the occupants of the church and educational facility.

Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, Baltimore, Maryland

The Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church design was a complete conversion of an existing retail strip store into a new religious facility. A total of 125,000 square feet of space was provided for the parishioners. Some of the existing rooftop units of the retail spaces were retained for the office and meeting areas of the facility. The sanctuary and commercial kitchen HVAC systems were new and designed by SRBR to maintain exceptional comfort under extremely varying and complicated conditions.

Trinity Assembly of God, Baltimore, Maryland

SRBR designed the mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems for the new religious facility located in Baltimore, Maryland. The project comprised a total of 55,000 square feet of interior space, including a 1,500-person sanctuary, a fellowship hall, meeting rooms, offices, and religious classrooms. The facilities were ventilated and conditioned with various dedicated systems. The systems SRBR designed for the facilities, such as HVAC, plumbing, sprinkler, power, telecommunications, and fire alarm, were cost effective and provided exceptional health and comfort for the occupants of the facility.

Additionally, SRBR designed MEP systems for the following religious facilities:

• Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Annapolis, Annapolis, Maryland

• Temple Beth El, Allentown, Pennsylvania

• Hunt Valley Church, Hunt Valley, Maryland

• Congregation Beth El, Voorhees, New Jersey

• The Worship Center, Berlin, Maryland

• Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation, Baltimore, Maryland

• Oak Grove Baptist Church, Bel Air, Maryland

• Midway Jewish Center, Syosset, New York

• Olivet Episcopal Church, Alexandria, Virginia

• B’Nai Israel Congregation, Rockville, Maryland

• Bethel Baptist Church & Koinonia Center, Cherry Hill, New Jersey