First Baptist Church of Pittsburg

Case Study

Established in 1859, the First Baptist Church of Pittsburg, Texas, wanted to extend and modernize their congregation to appeal to more people, especially those who have never been associated with church before. First Baptist’s expansion created a fresh and inviting space for worship, teaching and community for the entire family, and the congregation’s growth is evidence they achieved their design goals.

Problem

Steve Packer, pastor of First Baptist, felt it was important to reconstruct their facility and update their image to appeal to up and coming generations. Instead of only providing a place for formal worship, they wanted to expand the facility’s capabilities to encourage fellowship and inspire opportunities for informal gatherings. The congregation sought a design that paired traditional with contemporary and seamlessly tied the new addition to the existing fellowship hall and administrative offices. General contractor Jacobe Brothers Construction, Ltd. accepted the challenge of First Baptist’s vision and worked with Mike Butler, owner of Butler Architectural Group, to design and build the addition.

Solution

With community in mind, Jacobe and Butler built a 27,000-square-foot multipurpose worship center that includes an auditorium, an outdoor recess area, a children’s ministry, a game center, 11 classrooms, a nursery and theaters. MBCI’s CF Architectural insulated metal wall panels were selected for its thermal performance and finish.

The existing structure incorporated metal panels, and First Baptist maintained the same look of the design throughout the newly constructed facility with the CF Architectural panels. The flush faced metal panels were installed next to18-foot glass curtain walls to create a warm and open environment full of natural light. Since construction, the church has experienced outstanding growth. Packer said the community’s favorite aspect of the church is the gathering area because it creates an exciting presence, which is something they lacked before.

The CF Architectural is a concealed fastening system that allows designers to mix multiple panel widths and colors on the same wall. Manufactured specifically for horizontal applications, it allows flexibility for continuous corners along with a complete line of aluminum extrusions and accessories to complete the wall system. The special foam insulation of CF Architectural offers superior R-values to enhance buildings’ energy performance.