About the Client/Project: The Episcopal Church Center strives to build relationships across ideological, political and socio-economic divides, and part of that mission includes outreach services to the church and community of Ocean Beach. The church had three goals: To transform the church and office of the Bishop; to maximize the church space for mult-use functionality; and to maximize the application and use of sustainable design and materials.
Project Challenge: The challenge was to maximize space available in order to serve the needs of the church. The facility was subject to certain restrictions since the facility is within the Coastal Zone and the Ocean Beach Cottage Emerging Historic District.
Architectural Solution: We initially prepared a Design Investigation Report for conversion of an existing Sanctuary, Parish Hall, and Administrative/Education Building to serve the present needs of the Diocese. We started by renovated the Wolterstorf parish hall—which is the social heart of the property—which was extended for use by multiple groups for numerous church and community events. Within the retreat center we transferred, and reused, a multi-faceted stained glass window that was originally used by a monastery in Palm Springs. The kitchen was given a commerical grade design and equipment to withstand extensive use. The Pantry was upgraded to accommodate the Loaves and Fishes ministry which supports the hungry. There is also a Community health clinic used by CSUSM. The first floor was turned into a flexible space that can be used simultaneously by two different groups. The Sanctuary, built in 1951, was transformed into a flexible, multi-purpose meeting facility. Trinity chapel is home of the School for Ministry. New storage rooms for tables and chairs now frame the main entry, and the dynamic wooden trusses of the interior are highlighted by the new skylights. The restored east window casts light on the Sanctuary floor, and a new side entry provides a view into the courtyard. In addition, we upgraded technology infrastructure to accommodate new cable, site and building telephone, data, intrusion, card access and CCTV systems (security system), and Audio/Visual throughout the facilities.
Final Result: A functional, multi-use facility that services the church as well as the surrounding community.
