| |
|
|
 This is a special project for our company. We became involved early in the process with a year’s long study to determine if it made more sense to build onto a circa 1970s church building that the parish had long outgrown or to build a new building. It was decided to build a new church on the same ground. The parish needed to keep the old church operational during the construction of the new church, and that added another layer of planning and creativity on the design end.
The project planning was further complicated by shared parking, wetland areas, and moving the existing rectory. It was decided that moving the rectory as opposed to rebuilding a new rectory was the best option for keeping this old and beautiful building intact. It allowed the priests to maintain their accessibility to the parish, maintained a familiar look to the community, and was surprisingly more economical than building new. It also was a selling feature to the borough of the overall project based on the historical feel of the structure.
We excitedly took on the challenge of moving this 75-year old stone home. We had to ensure that the structure would be maintained as it was hoisted off of its foundation, placed on a bed, and moved by vehicle 500 feet away. We also had to design for this existing structure to sit on top of a new basement, taking away for us the natural strength of the land supporting all of that heavy stone. Once we moved the rectory and filled in the hole, it was time to move onto building the new church. We were personally involved with the day-to-day planning and construction for three years as the owner’s representative. Fidelis Engineering, Inc. provided all of the inspections and testing. The overall cost of the church project was on the order of $13 million. So far it included the rectory move, a new church building for 1,200-person capacity, new meeting rooms and a daily chapel, the demolition of the old church and the construction of a new parking area and stormwater management systems. All of this happening while not missing a Sunday mass!
A year later, the church had a need for a new administration building. Fidelis Engineering, Inc. was again hired as the owner’s representative but also provided the geotechnical engineering for the new project.
We designed the structural elements of the building, provided construction management and inspections for the new 5500 sf, office. The total project was approx. $1.5 mil.
Other Institutional clients include:
Alvernia University
St. Joseph’s Prep
Welsh Valley Middle School
Sts. Philip and James Parish
Bryn Mawr Public Library
Montgomery County Community College
Eastwick Congregation
Penn London Elementary School
Princeton University
Downingtown High School
|
|
Albright College
CHOP – Karabots Center
M'Kor Shalom
Camelot Academy
Delaware County Community College
South Elementary School
Temple University
Cooper Hospital
|
|
|
|
