
Derby First Christian Church
Location: Derby, Kansas Owner: First Christian Church Derby Architect: Howard + Helmer Architects, P.A. Construction: Eby ConstructionSouthrock Christian Church selected Eby as the General Contractor/Construction Manager for the construction of their new 38,000 sf church complex with sanctuary, offices and classrooms. As a part of the agreement, preconstruction services were provided. Budgets during several phases of design and value engineering proposals were prepared throughout the process. A focus of the efforts of the project team was to use funds effectively to give maximum impact in the public areas and to make the classroom and office areas extremely functional. The decision was made to increase stone accents at the elevations of the church, which are visible from the roads, and reduce money spent on the areas where future expansion was planned. Exposed wood timber framing at the entrances continues through the welcome center/social area and into the worship space. The children’s worship area incorporates extra high ceilings allowing it to be more of a multipurpose room. The mansard style roof creates architectural interest as well as meeting the city codes to hide mechanical equipment from view.
The building was designed to take advantage of the sloping site. A walk-out basement provides light to the youth spaces and access to recreation areas. The patio of the main social area incorporates a beautiful view, with the warmth of an outdoor fireplace and wood timber framing. The overall elevation of the building was determined by analyzing the cost to move dirt on site, site drainage requirements and the view from the main roads.