Image: GFF Architects
Atrium at First United Methodist Church, Dallas
First United Methodist Church (FUMC) Dallas's light-filled atrium and social space is part of a master plan by local GFF Architects for the 170+ year-old downtown house of worship.
FUMC's master plan, which included the atrium space, garnered a 2015 Faith & Form/IFRAA Award for church architecture on behalf of the Washington, D.C.-based American Institute of Architects (AIA). IFRAA, once an acronym for Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art and Architecture, is now called simply Interfaith Design.
While GFF completed the renovation that included the atrium in 2013, the space, with its approach to the creation of gathering space through the joining of multiple buildings, is both relevant and interesting for church design in pandemic times.
According to GFF's website, the company has worked with FUMC since 2008. The most recent project renovated 46,000-square-feet of interior space on four levels of the church's west wing, originally constructed in 1924. One of the project's goals was to give the second-foor developmental learning center a face lift and to renovate the interior of the children’s and youth ministry spaces on the second and third floors. In addition, the renovation included the relocation of church staff offices to the ground floor.
As with any historic renovation, GFF's goal was to honor the historic nature of the existing facility while adding much-needed modern efficiencies.
Find an article on the project, written by GFF project team member Nicholas McWhirter, AIA, here: https://issuu.com/levi.hooten/docs/an_atrium_of_light/2.
