AUSTIN, TX February 18, 2010 – Since 1882, Tate Springs Baptist Church has had a growing presence in Arlington, Texas. To accommodate the increasing students? and weekday education ministries, the church required a new facility. In fall of 2009, FJW Construction completed the education and family facility for the 1,200-member church.
The 21,000-sf, two-story brick structure mirrors the adjacent church building: The upper windows on the west side are adorned with concrete arch headers, whilea canvas canopy connects the two buildings. Designed by Hahnfeld Hoffer Stanford Architects, the new building is master planned to connect to the existing one through a two-story atrium space. This atrium space is part of a central concourse that will link all buildings in the future.
Terry Jeffries, Pastor of Administration, described the space requirements by stating, “You can’t double down on preschool space. You can have two church services or Sunday schools, but preschoolers, they stay on the same spot! Also, our school and youth services were sharing the same space, which was challenging, from moving furniture to time limitations.”
The first floor houses preschoolers and includes: A check-in station, eight classrooms with connecting restrooms, an indoor play area, teachers’ workroom, and equipment storage. The second floor is for students and consists ofa reception area, eight classrooms, restrooms, a gathering place with a stage, snack bar, and a serving area.
Mr. Jeffries remarked, “We found FJW to be very professional, very efficient, and incredibly well-informed, from the very beginning. We had eight other construction companies in the original interviews. It was obvious then that FJ knew the building plans and asked insightful questions that were beneficial to everyone involved.”
FJW ensured a timely, organized approach to construction management. Shop drawings were prepared early, and long-lead items like door frames arrived during the construction’s first month. A laydown area was prepared on the church’s undeveloped land to store materials like structural steel. To save an immense amount of time, FJW decided to form and pour concrete arch headers on the ground, instead of doing this work on the second floor. This process allowed for the roof’s steel structures to be raised, as pouring took place simultaneously.
FJW’s Project Manager Bob Richey stated, “The project ran smoothly. Our staff worked together and pushed subcontractors to get the job completed on time.”
The project was kept on schedule by having subcontractors work on weekends. FJW staff utilized Microsoft Project for schedule updates, questions, and concerns during the bimonthly owner/architect/contractor meetings.
The project included setting up utility lines, constructing a storm sewer, paving, sidewalks, landscaping, and irrigation. For utility connections, FJW coordinated with the City of Arlington inspectors. When the city required a sprinkler system for the old building, FJW helped the church select a contractor for the right price.
Sitework improvements involved grading and leveling the land for soccer and baseball fields. Mr. Jeffries notes, “We wanted to create this property during construction, so that fields already have irrigation. Grading is great, leveling is right, we just need to add fencing and goalposts before using them. It was great to work with FJW to make sure this happens while they were onsite.”
He concludes, “We had a great experience with the whole FJW staff. The communication was extremely strong. We were impressed with their knowledge of the project, the building and its needs, and their willingness to construct the project in the church’s best interest. We certainly would look for them in our next project.”
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