Circular Congregational Church
Education and Outreach Building...

location: Charleston, SC
est. completion date: october 2006
project team:
Frank Harmon
Matt Luck

project statement...

The Circular Congregational Church is Charleston's oldest church. It was founded in 1681 and established the first Sunday school for religious education in South Carolina in 1816. Lance Hall was added to the church in 1856, and it has served the congregation well for many years. Over the past decade, however, church membership has grown by 150 percent and Sunday school enrollment has doubled. To accommodate this growth and increase its educational and urban outreach ministries, the church needs a new 3000-square-foot building on the original grounds, linked to Lance Hall. The lower floor of Lance Hall will be renovated as part of this project. Church leaders asked that the new structure complement the beauty of the church grounds with the smallest possible footprint on the historic property, and include as many green principles as possible. The new building will provide four classroom spaces, porches, an exterior courtyard space, additional restrooms and a shower (for weekend lock-ins). Lance Hall renovations will provide a larger nursery and a dedicated adult meeting room. An elevator supporting the two buildings will make the church fully accessible for the first time in its history. The building’s configuration will feature a covered porch overlooking an intimate meditation space. Sustainability features include a vegetative roof, geothermal heating and cooling system and rainwater-collection cisterns for landscape use.

progress...

The project is currently under construction.

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