St. John Neumann Catholic Church - Offices and Conference Center

Chapman Harvey Architects, Inc. has worked for many years with the priests and parishioners of St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Lubbock, Texas, to plan an addition to their existing facilities. The program called for the new addition to serve as a link between existing school facilities and church sanctuary and office facilities, made more challenging by the multiple levels and grade difference existing on site. The new addition was to be built directly on top of the existing office portion of the facility, which is underground. Due to this integral relationship between the foundation and framing of the two structures, extensive structural analysis and field verification took place.

The aesthetic of the existing facility presented addition demands. The existing sanctuary is distinctive, composed of precast concrete angular elements anchored together and softened by an inviting sub-grade courtyard and earthen berms. In the design of the addition, it was important to complement the existing aesthetic in form and texture, which was achieved through the use of appropriate materials, the general design and proportions of the addition.