Brother of the Sacred Heart Provincial Office Renovations

This project was a renovation of an existing circa 1960s Baptist church to serve as a new Provincial Office for the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. The design honors the original spacious nave, enhanced by a lateral lightwell that fills the interior and circulation corridor with daylight.

To support the new program, a conference room and break area were strategically inserted within the open area, respecting the interior volume and maintaining the room’s uplifting presence. Expansive new windows were added to the exterior, introducing additional daylight and creating balance with the central lightwell.

Private offices line the building’s perimeter, offering privacy from the central gathering space while capturing views to the outside. Transparent materials were deliberately chosen to provide visual connectivity, reflections, and a sense of openness while respecting the historic character of the structure.

At the heart of the space, a salvaged crucifix from the original church was thoughtfully repurposed and illuminated, serving as a central focal point and a powerful symbol of the building’s continued spiritual significance.

Vineyard Church

The project consists of renovations and additions for a rapidly growing church community. Multiple strategies were explored to determine the best way to relieve crowding and improve the flow of visitors. It was ultimately decided that a large component of the children’s ministry would be relocated to a new addition. This created the opportunity to develop a secondary children’s lobby and check in area, effectively relieving congestion.

With this concept in place, the existing building received an updated lobby with a new welcome desk and media wall greeting visitors. The children’s check in and drop off were relocated to a new lobby.

St. John of The Cross

The master plan prepared by Holly & Smith Architects for St. John of the Cross Church in Lacombe, Louisiana is comprised of 4 phases of work. The original sanctuary building is a uniquely designed structure which responds to its wooded environment and the south Louisiana climate. Phase 1 involves the addition of a new office and meeting space building to be located between the existing sanctuary and the existing multipurpose building. The new office and meeting space building will house the new facilities for administration and CCD, and the design of which will be in harmony with the architectural language of the existing sanctuary building. Phase 2 involves the sensitive addition to the existing sanctuary for seating expansion as well as a rear covered drop-off area. This expansion will add 150 person seating capacity to the existing church. Also in Phase 2, a new daily mass chapel is planned to be situated amongst a thick growth of existing pine trees. Phase 3 involves the addition of new educational facilities to the eastern portion of the site. The initial portion of this phase will include 4 classrooms, school administration and toilet rooms. Phase 4 also includes a new 1,000 person sanctuary located in the northern portion of the site amongst the existing pine forest. The existing sanctuary will then be converted to a parish hall facility.

St. Ann Catholic Church Alterations and Additions

The project consisted of a complete interior and exterior renovation to the 11,000 sq. ft. existing 1970’s Church to provide new finishes and modifications to the antiquated mechanical and electrical systems. Furthermore, an addition was provided to the existing classroom wing, which offered an expanded 3,900 sq. ft. Pre-K classroom and new daycare facility.

H/S Architects also designed the “Donor Wall” concept, which recognized the commitments and contributions of all involved in support of the renovation efforts for the outdated Church and Shrine. In reflection of a bronze plaque, which existed at the front of the Church, the concept was derived to create a homage to St. Ann and the Blessed Mother by creating an image which was generated from an amalgamation of the names of Parish supporters who contributed to the Church’s Capital Campaign. The backdrop for the plaque image is made of a milled assembly of reclaimed wood which was salvaged from the original Church shrine during the renovation.

Saint Scholastica Academy Chapel

The Chapel is located at the intersection of two main axes on the S.S.A. campus and is a key element to be completed from the recent campus-wide master plan. The chapel entry is aligned with the formal campus entry and developing promenade. Transversely, the orientation of the altar and seating is aligned with the campus green. An expansive glazed wall provides transparent visual access to this green space and plaza. A free-standing wall at the main entry provides a historical reference to the original campus buildings’ architectural language, detailed in the Mission style. Within the wall is a large solid mahogany wood door six feet wide and eleven feet tall. The door operates on a central pivot hinge. This large door provides a significant point of threshold into a small prayer garden surrounding the entry. This prayer garden serves as preparation for the sacred space to come.

Finishes within the Chapel are simple yet refined. The monolithic plastered interior walls are sculpted with a ribbon of scripture passages. The minimally detailed walls are balanced with a warmth of strip wood floors and ceilings. The west wall behind the altar is a catcher of indirect sunlight. Ten plaster monoliths are separated in series across the face of the wall and allow a blue hue to emanate from in between. The blue hue is created from a reflection of a blue painted surface behind each of the monoliths. A narrow slit of clear glass is positioned directly behind each of the monoliths. Neither the blue painted surface or the slit of glass can be seen directly from within the space. The effect is a subtle ghostly reflection offering a spiritual quality to the space.

Manresa – Our Lady of Good Counsel

This project was a response to the spatial demands required for the growth and renovation of the existing Xavier Hall. As part of the effort to alleviate program spatial needs to be allocated within Xavier Hall (Dining and Living Quarters) the offices for the Resident Jesuit Priests, were relocated to a new building separating Retreat Program Space from the Jesuit Living Quarters. The new facility provides (4) private offices for the Resident Jesuit Priests and serves for Reconciliation, Counseling and Meeting Space. Future Plans involve an expansion for a new meditative garden.

Holy Ghost Catholic Church

The new sanctuary for a Catholic Parish in the small town of Hammond, La. was designed to act as a social and a contextual bridge between the neighboring university and the historic downtown “commercial arts and crafts” urban and residential fabric. Furthermore, it attempts to conceptually bridge between the traditional form, organization and ritual procession of “the Catholic Church” and the progressive, contemporary image and social re-organization of “the new Vatican Community Catholic Church”. In this respect the 1,000 seat sanctuary is organized to reflect the present concepts of liturgy (i.e. seating in the round, centrally located Ambo, fully submersible baptismal font, reconciliation chapel, etc.) while the narthex, serving as the social gathering space, takes the familiar form of the traditional nave by use of gabled parapets and buttressed support columns. This large space provides a receptacle for linkages between the well knit small town community and the solemn ritual of the Catholic mass by extending itself out into the processional plaza as an embrace to that community. This interactive relationship is further exemplified by the visual access provided by high windows and glass corner devotional and reconciliation chapels. As a structural expression of community, an interwoven network of truss framework (re: the church community) is supported by four great pillars (re: the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). The fully submersible tomb-like granite baptismal font is symbolically placed at the entry with skylights above. The altar, in contrast to traditional manifestations is centrally located , and approachable from all sides from within the communal gathering. The Corpus, Baptismal font, and altar were products of intense collaboration with local artists and craftsmen, a critical emphasis towards community involvement.

First Baptist Church

The congregation originally commissioned the architects to masterplan their facility and design a new sanctuary. After initial design studies were received, the Building Committee determined the cost of a new sanctuary to be prohibitive. The Committee also was somewhat perplexed as to what to do with their existing sanctuary facility, a second floor auditorium with an on-grade basement below.

A concept was developed to reuse the existing sanctuary building. The solution – reverse the main entry, locating it on the west facade, and removing the center of the second floor structure which placed the main sanctuary floor at the ground level. The remaining second floor became balcony space. A bell tower and new portico on the west facade created an inviting assembly of forms.