Unrivaled Experience
Industry Leaders in Church & Christian School Design
With more than 1,100 faith-based projects across 47 U.S. States and 3 foreign countries, BGW Architects offers an unmatched level of expertise in church design as well as broad experience with Christian schools and colleges. As a firm that has worked exclusively with this clientele since 1998, we have an intimate understanding of the changing needs of ministry organizations and a proven record of success with a wide range of projects, from small remodels and additions to commercial building conversions and large ground-up construction projects.
View Our PortfolioInnovative Design
The importance of flexibility, community integration and financial sustainability have become increasingly evident. Congregations are evolving, worship practices are evolving, and our understanding of community dynamics is evolving. As such, churches must embrace these changes and create spaces that can adapt to the evolving needs of their congregations and their broader community. At BGW Architects, we are focused on designing ministry facilities that are:
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Community FocusedCommunity Focused
We believe that a ministry is most effective when it is fully immersed in its community and that buildings can play a key role in moving a ministry toward this “embedded” identity. From the earliest stages of design, our church architects focus on helping ministry leaders consider how their new facility can be a more effective ministry tool that meets the needs of the community, not just on Sundays, but 7 days a week. This includes the idea of incorporating early childhood education centers, community centers and other models that can create people flow and even generate additional income for the ministry.
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Flexible & AdaptableFlexible & Adaptable
The demographics of your community and the needs and preferences of your attendees will change from generation to generation. At BGW, we are committed to designing flexible church buildings that will support the changing needs of your membership and your community both now and into the future. For example, a key consideration in every church design is eliminating or minimizing the number of load bearing walls that could limit future flexibility of the space.
In addition to being flexible for the future, our church designs also place an emphasis on incorporating adaptable, multi-functional spaces that allow ministries to maximize the utilization of their facilities and better serve the needs of their communities. For example, flexible seating, portable partitions and modular furniture enable quick reconfiguration of a space to accommodate different events and group sizes.
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Aligned with Your BrandAligned with Your Brand
Whether you’re building a new facility or trying to expand your reach in the community through an existing building, it is important to establish a first impression and create a unique experience or emotion for your visitors. BGW is aligned with an experienced branding expert that can help you incorporate aspects of your brand into the aesthetics of your facility to strengthen brand identification and reinforce your brand values.
Stewardship Driven.
We believe that reducing the cost of construction begins at the earliest stages of preliminary design. By aligning with like-minded contractors that share our vision and our philosophy towards stewardship, we are able to keep costs in check from the beginning and continually seek opportunities for additional savings and value engineering as the design progresses.
Counting the Costs
Prior to beginning a preliminary design, BGW assists ministries in clarifying their total funding capacity. Our goal is to ensure that the end result of this conceptual design process is a solution that the ministry can actually afford to build. Through our partners at Cornerstone Funding Consultants, BGW clients are provided with an independent review of their financial statements, giving history and overall ability to service new debt. This offers the owner, architect and contractor a solid foundation for good stewardship as they launch into design solutions for the new facility.
Fixed Fees
Unlike most church architects that charge percentage-based fees, our fees are fixed for each stage of the project based on the square footage of the building. In our experience, percentage-based fees often provide incentive to expand the scope of the project and can lead to over-priced plans that do not fit within the ministry budget. By fixing the architectural fees, the church architect is inspired to make decisions from the start that can reduce the cost of construction.
Pre-Construction Stewardship
Unlike standard design and construction approaches in which the architectural plans are completed and then sent out to contractors for bid, BGW engages in a unique process to explore the plans at a much deeper level with the subcontractors prior to receiving their final bid. Through a series of meetings that we call Pre-Construction Stewardship (PCS), our goal is to break the pattern of conflict and communication breakdown that is normal in the construction industry between contractors and architects by asking the subcontractors to take our drawings, review them, and then come back to discuss them in individual sessions.
In addition to value engineering ideas from subcontractors about more efficient and cost-effective ways to accomplish the work, this process allows the BGW team to make the necessary changes to the construction documents that can clear up any confusion in the plan set, which can significantly reduce or eliminate change orders. PCS also incorporates a survey exercise that helps to identify construction industry relationships that the ministry might have in the local community that can lead to additional value added to the project in reduced mark-up or gifting of materials or labor.
Factory-Direct Building Supplies
Many of the products that are specified in our construction drawings are supplied through our strategic partner, Cornerstone Building Supply . This non-profit company has negotiated factory-direct pricing with leading manufacturers who have a heart to support Christian ministry. By partnering together and leveraging our large volume of ministry- based projects nationally, we are able to maximize our purchasing power through direct national accounts, eliminating layers of mark up on everything from HVAC equipment, lighting, flooring, doors, seating, sports and playground equipment and much more. Learn More
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Completed Designs
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