Lutheran Church of Hope –Grimes is a satellite facility of a large, multi-campus Evangelical Lutheran Church in the heart of Iowa. The 21,150 square-foot building serves as a community and worship center for a fast-growing congregation within an expanding rural community.

Site. The site is part of a larger planned residential and commercial development focused on walkability and community. The site topography, configuration, and orientation afforded the building to be placed near the center of the site and be oriented toward a regional stormwater pond stocked with fish, an informal outdoor worship space, and community vehicular round-a-bout.

Vehicular and pedestrian traffic flow around the southern and western boundaries allowing the building to be viewed from a distance as a humble form nestled into the earth. Worshippers and visitors approach and enter the building from a modest one-story “porch” on the east and have views to the site and pond from the interior.

Building. The building is shaped with two simple volumes.  The darker worship form is crafted with a hand-made texture of clay tiles and serves as the vessel where larger worship and education functions reside.  The lower single-story white, metal clad-form serves as a support bar to the larger worship form and creates a warm “front porch” with the incorporation of cedar and a cantilevered protective overhang.

The cross stands as a third element in the composition marking the entrance and balancing the building composition. Gathering spaces, educational facilities, and a flexible 400-seat worship space enable residents to grow and connect within the life of the church and the surrounding community.