Jim Olson, the founding principal of Olson Kundig Architects, will lead the remodel of the building’s exterior and church’s main sanctuary, as well as design of the Parish Life Center, a garden and a chapel. The Parish Life Center’s first two floors will be designed to accommodate offices, a library, and a fellowship hall. Spacious worship and meeting spaces for the congregation are also included in the redevelopment scheme. Gethsemane Lutheran Church Social Services and Housing Project will also see Olson Kundig Architects teaming up with SMR Architects to design the five-storey affordable housing unit, known as the Hope Center.
The project involves renovation of an existing 1950s building to integrate it into an evolving urban context and construction of 50 new housing apartments. The new 10,000 square feet Hope Center will enable Gethsemane Lutheran Church to enhance its social services by offering day programmes to community homeless and disadvantaged families and individuals.
Olson Kundig Architects’ design will weave varied programmes into a single visual tapestry by employing multi-coloured metal and glass bands. The portions of the metal tapestry with a copper/gold finish will appear like oversized cross forms from a distance. The warm character of handcrafted glass windows of the chapel will cast an intimate natural light onto the street. According to Olson, following the principle of light as a major part of the design of spiritual spaces, the chapel at Gethsemane will feature an assortment of clear, translucent and coloured glass appearing as a beacon of light.
The garden space will be designed in such a way as to establish a strong relationship with the chapel on the corner and the fellowship hall within. This arrangement will help in balancing openness with outreach. A statue of Christ will be installed in a garden, located near the entrance to the church, creating a ‘sidewalk chapel’ for passers-by.
Groundbreaking on the project will start in January 2011 with construction scheduled to be completed in 2012. The total cost of the renovation and construction project is $20 million.
Gethsemane Lutheran Church was a founding member of Lutheran Alliance To Create Affordable Housing (LATCH) in 1988 and plays a significant role in the accomplishment of Seattle’s ‘Ending Homeless in Ten Years’ initiative that is dedicated to providing the homeless with a safe, secure home.
