Perhaps most important, this project put us on a path to dream even bigger about how our physical church building can be leveraged to serve an urban mission field in profound new ways.
Nicholas McWhirter, AIA
An Atrium of Light
GFF Church Works’ Fiedler Atrium project at First United Methodist Church Dallas was featured in the Summer 2020 issue of Faith and Form magazine on page 18.
Winner of the 2015 Faith & Form/IFRAA Award, the atrium is part of a new master plan for the church. The space recaptured a “light-filled heart for the campus” by enclosing a courtyard which links the buildings together and creates a new gathering and social space.
The article is penned by Nicholas McWhirter, AIA. Mr. McWhirter was a key member of the GFF’s project team when the atrium renovation was completed in 2013.
Overall, GFF has worked with FUMC in Dallas, Texas since 2008 on various projects. The most recent project renovated 46,000 SF of interior space on four levels of the west wing which was originally constructed in 1924. The goal was to give the Developmental Learning Center on the first floor a cosmetic face lift, renovate the interior of the children’s and youth ministry spaces on the second and third floors to make them more functional and efficient, and relocate the church staff offices to the ground floor. Due to the historic nature of the existing facility, much care was taken to honor the past while adding modern efficiencies.
