Willow Crystal Lake started with a vision for a space that could reach out to the community and serve as many people as possible. BLDD Architects helped them create a master plan that was a direct reflection of the core convictions and mission of the church. The open and inviting design is an intentional feature that connects the building to the site and the entire community. The goal of Phase 1 was to create a new worship center and then use as much of the existing structure for all of the other ministry spaces.
- 193,000 s.f. church
- 25 acre campus site
- Accommodates more than 4,000 attendees with room for growth
The goal of Phase 1 was to create a new worship center and then use as much of the existing structure for all of the other ministry spaces.
The church was able to utilize more than 150 volunteers putting in more than 10,000 hours of volunteer work.
In order to get all the desired work into the project, we helped the church identify opportunities for volunteer work. The church was able to utilize more than 150 volunteers putting in more than 10,000 hours of volunteer work.
The multi-purpose venue provides a place for all students, faculty and staff to come together and worship in one place. Amidst a bustling campus it is a sacred place that is inspiring and supports the spiritual life of the campus community. At the same time, it accommodates with excellence a wide range of worship and performance activities and has become an outreach tool for the larger community outside the ONU campus.
As a result of developing a master plan, a fellowship hall was constructed to connect the church’s three buildings into one contiguous facility. The fellowship hall was designed to accommodate a temporary worship setting during subsequent phases when the 1895 sanctuary building was being refurbished.
Needing to combine the church and school ministries to one campus, a master plan was developed for Bethel Lutheran Church in Morton, Illinois. A new 28,285 s.f. church building that houses a sanctuary with balcony, parish hall, administrative office suite, nursery, and children’s education space was built adjacent to the existing Bethel Lutheran School.