First Baptist Church of Charleston Education Building Honored with 2 AIA Awards
Mez Joseph
Congratulations to First Baptist Church of Charleston SC for being honored with two AIA Awards - an AIA South Atlantic Region 2023 Merit Award & an AIA South Carolina 2023Merit Award - for the new Education Building! This new structure on the campus of First Baptist Church and School in Charleston replaced a non-historic existing building located approximately mid-block between Meeting and Church streets. The building includes offices, classrooms, and a Fellowship Hall with a commercial kitchen, all of which are shared by the Church and School. The building is simply built of economical materials: brick veneer over metal studs and a structural steel frame with storefront and curtainwall glazing. The massing of the building is broken down into two wings to reduce the overall scale of the building in relation to the existing historic context. The design includes a reduced footprint compared to the existing building and utilizes a 12’-8” floor to floor height to better integrate the building into its context. The new education building works with the c.1822 Robert Mills-designed sanctuary to frame an active courtyard. Together, the new building, the courtyard, and the sanctuary represent the three pillars of Baptist faith: Education, Fellowship, and Worship. It also creates connections between three communities: the religious community of the church, the educational community of the school, and the historic community of Charleston’s South of Broad neighborhood.
