GARC

Excited to share our latest project: the renovation of First Baptist Church Norfolk.

Our client’s vision is to transform the space into a welcoming, multigenerational environment that engages children, inspires faith exploration, and draws new families into the church community.

Through multiple design charrettes with the church committee, we listened carefully to their vision, their challenges, and the aspirations they held for their congregation. Together we developed solutions that
truly met their needs. This collaborative process helped the committee make decisions more efficiently — and the resulting design reflects their deep institutional knowledge and heartfelt input.

The first area we‘d like to share is the central lobby. Over time, additions gradually shifted this space toward circulation. Our design brings it back as the heart of the church—a destination and informal gathering place centered around the iconic steeple.
We drew inspiration from the church’s history by adopting the tripod as a unifying motif, echoing the steeple‘s form. This shape scales from building organization down to interior details: architectural elements, patterns, wood paneling, and custom lighting.

During our research, we traced how the building nearly tripled in size since the 1970s. Even the committee was surprised to see this evolution—a reminder that this renovation goes beyond cosmetic. It’s a journey of rediscovery.

We‘re grateful to First Baptist Norfolk for the opportunity to work on such a meaningful project.

Stay tuned as we share more spaces from this project.