Abstract:
St. Peter's Lutheran Church is a Long-standing urban congreation in Columbus, Indiana and has approximately 2500 members. The existing facilities include a sanctuary and three school buildings, as well as parking for 90 cars on a single city block. The sanctuary seats 550 people and the school has an attendance of 420 pupils in grades K-8. A new sanctuary will be provided for 900+ worshipers for each of two services on Sundays, and additional classrooms and support spaces for the school will provide 50% more space for the steadily increasing enrollment. Difficulties in expansion arise because of the urban setting, so the site has been increased to encompass 2- blocks (250,000 s.f.).The basic goals of this building program are to: a)use the existing buildings to their best advantage, b)show reverence to God and respect for Lutheran doctrines in the new church building, and c)tie all buildings together to function as a complete and self-contained complex. The solution given in this thesis provides solar energy elements (active and passive), a response to the architectural integrity of the community, and coordinating church, school, and community functions into a multi-use and active facility. Most important conceptually is a courtyard between the old and new buildings, serving as the focal point for all church activities.The building program calls for 85,000 s.f. of new and renovated space with a projected budget of $8,300,000. The master plan for the facility allows for flexibility in the usage of rooms, and also allows for a maximum 50-year size of 1200 people for a single church service and 725 pupils in the school (24 classrooms in grades 1-8 and 3 kindergarten rooms).
