CCR’s Design Blog Intent:

We will begin by describing the benefits of initial ministry information collection and consideration. Great design outcomes occur when a building committee and their professional begin with a tailored planning phase. This serves to further dovetail early discovery with formal verification required in design. A church may have started several planning components but may be missing pieces such as a budget or stakeholder input. These critical informers, much like ministry space needs, form the critical scope used to design a one-off, tailored project. Within the this pre-design, discovery phase it may also be necessary to review all technical, ADA and infrastructure needs to better prepare the committee for future design phases.

Design informed by well-conceived scope and ministry needs program provides the holistic approach necessary for a unique solution on several levels. Best practices are to complete the program in planning and verify its completeness in early design. The eventual design solution should be an embodiment of the faith community’s unique Mission. To promote Mission the church’s multiple-ministry dynamic is used to assign space needs, their adjacencies support spaces and circulation. Initial planning level budget development forms the basis for controlling costs throughout design.
Early cost reconciliation and outlining cost limits allow more strategic design solutions, often with phases and broken-out alternates that can be evaluated for inclusion after contractor bids.

Our topics this year will focus on the development dynamics that enhance mission-based design while limiting risk to the church acting as the ‘infrequent developer’. Early understanding of needs and costs through sustainable, austere strategies that are reconciled at each design phase are ultimate keys to success.

Several of our CCR Design Blog Topics in 2019:
I. Leveraging Mission-Based Planning and Emergent Strategies to Create Flexible, Community-Centric Design:

1. Mission-Based Design Inertia: How missional needs preparation develops a consistent, creative momentum.
2. The Mission as Touchstone: The unique churches mission can focus design criterion for ultimate success.
3. Budget Responsibilities and Maintenance: A design’s long-term success will be measured by the continued ability to grow ministries through an annual, balanced budget. (Refer (again) to Mission as Touchstone)

More: Need more design and development guidance NOW? Please Contact Us at CCR! (410) 371-1142