Places of worship across the United States often adhere to traditional architectural styles, with Gothic, Romanesque, or Colonial Revival being the most prominent. At the same time, a growing number of religious institutions are incorporating more modern designs in any renovations they undertake.
When church leaders decided to construct a new children’s ministry at the First Baptist Church in Lewisville, TX, they charged designers to foster a more vibrant aesthetic for the addition, which would be annexed directly adjacent to the church’s main area of worship. The existing church harkened back to traditional architectural styles, and the addition was intended to serve as a dynamic, engaging area for children.
The expansion featured a dedicated vehicle turnaround and drop-off area for families. It also had the double usage of being a shorter walk for older members of the congregation to access the worship room. Appealing to both demographics was a design challenge that architects had to overcome.
Nichiha Architectural Wall Panels (AWP) proved to be the perfect façade solution for the interior and exterior of the addition.
Blending Tradition & Modernity
Dubbed “Kids At First,” the new children’s center presented an opportunity to blend traditional looks with an exciting façade that would reflect the church’s modern aspirations. Initially, the challenge was a tough one.
“It’s a very sort of Georgian-looking red brick, white column exterior that can be very imposing,” said Michael Lehr, associate and studio director for GFF design. “One of the problems they wanted to solve was to really make the campus, and the building itself, seem more inviting. With the particular emphasis on kids, we were looking for a fun way to accomplish that.”
Nichiha’s Illumination AWP quickly became an ideal choice, affording architects a durable building envelope solution that can be specified in custom colors. It is one of several Nichiha products in the Color Xpressions system, all of which feature matching trim pieces and a 15-year limited factory-applied finish warranty with no minimum order required.
“The vibrant colors that we were able to use with the panels was really strategic to that [vision],” added Lehr.
An Outside-In Design
Part of the 21,000 sq. ft. Kids At First addition incorporates two eye-catching designs into a glass heavy entrance. Two distinct “cubes,” which can be seen from the building’s exterior, continue seamlessly into the north cube’s entrance. The south cube is fully integrated into the facility with elements only visible inside and from above the roofline.
Each cube has its own pair of vibrant colors that are the same on the building’s interior: bright blue hues on the northern cube, lime green on the southern cube. Inside, the spaces contain youth-friendly attractions like a play space and another worship area.
Nichiha’s Illumination AWP fit the bill perfectly. With a smooth, satin finish and customized color options for design flexibility, Illumination delivers a sleek, sophisticated look that delivered the desired result for the new children’s center.
The execution of the project speaks to Nichiha’s ability to be used for both exterior and interior applications. The bright colors demand attention, and their use is a deliberate departure from the rest of the masonry-heavy building.
The bright wall colors are accentuated with furniture and other details from similar color palettes, opening the door for a variety of complementary color details.
“We try to do a lot of fun things with shapes and color blocking,” said Emily Mendez, associate, interior design leader, and director of sustainability at GFF design.
“We always try to design spaces to be a backdrop to whatever the church wants to do that week or that month. Really strong color blocking or interesting shapes allows it to serve as a fun backdrop.”
Looks That Last
Part of what made the exterior and interior installation such a simple process was a guided installation with Nichiha’s technical and sales teams.
“The general contractor had not installed the product before,” said Lehr. “[The Nichiha] team was so willing to set them up with the appropriate training. The installation was seamless.”
The custom-colored Illumination installed the same way inside as it did outside. In both locations, the cladding has robust durability that can protect against hail damage.
“Dallas and Tarrant counties are the highest in the country for hail damage,” said Mendez. “Most [insurance claims] have to do with roofs. But we know rain or hail doesn’t always fall straight down. Having a durable product that can withstand something like that is helpful to us as architects.”
Designers agree that the innovative use of Nichiha AWP significantly elevated the project’s aesthetic appeal and durability. The ability to use fiber cement both indoors and outdoors opened new possibilities for design expression, making it easier than ever to create a cohesive and visually striking interior-exterior aesthetic.
