St. Norbert
The Church faced two problems: there was no ADA access to the church through the front entry, and there was no space to gather in the entryway to the building. Additionally the concrete plaza was beginning to age along with the built in snow melt system.
Our design for the church was composed of three main components:
- Replacement of the entrance plaza and entry stairs. This would include the snow melt system.
- Renovation of the narthex, the rear worship space, and removal of the Cry Room / Storage spaces.
- 750 square foot addition on the south side of the building that would house an elevator, ADA Toilets, and the stair.
The plaza improvements included an ADA ramp, modern aluminum railings, a more efficient snow melt system, and limestone planters. The project included removal and replacement of the entire aluminum storefront entry doors / windows.
Inside the church we designed a full immersion baptismal font, ADA compliant men’s and women’s toilet rooms, an accessible elevator and a sweeping stair down to the lower level parish hall. The elevator addition includes a dedicated entry that serves both the parish hall and the church.
The narthex renovation can be characterized by the two striking features: the transparent wood frame dividing walls, and the sun pattern terrazzo floor. The previous narthex was dark and cramped. Transparent walls were crucial to let light pass through to the Worship space. Drawing inspiration from the back wall of the Altar, the Baptismal Font is located at the center of a terrazzo starburst.
Project Cost: $2,200,000
Site Location: Northbrook, IL
Completion Date: 2019
