Mukilteo Presbyterian Church
Mukilteo, WA
2006 MCAA International Excellence in Masonry Award Winner
Mason Contractor:
R & D Masonry, Inc.
Architect:
Becker Architects
Project Description
The most impressive aspect of this building is the reaction you receive from its inhabitants. When we approached the parishioners to ask permission to photograph and submit the project, they raved about the building. Their pride of ownership was evident. "We just love our building," was stated several times.
Becker Architects intended the first building, a Social Hall, to be the first building in a masonry village. The Social Hall final design encompasses four buildings within a single building, combining the lobby, the main meeting hall, a conference area and the kitchen/food bank. Rather than designing one building envelope, the plan looks more like an assemblage of different types of buildings. This helps to reduce the structure's mass. These smaller elements break down the overall scale of the building, which help it relate to the adjacent existing homes. This design gives the building shape and form, playing on shadows and light.
The main field of split-face khaki block was an economical substitute for the split-face stone desired by the owners. These structural masonry walls provide architectural finish on both the exterior and interior. The ground face buff accents and banding provide visual relief and detail to the large walls. They also help to make the smooth backside of the split-face CMU a more architectural finish, and break up the mottling of the smooth colored CMU. The ground-face of the half-high units further works with the owner's request for a stone-like look.
The design team felt that masonry is a superior product to build with. It establishes the building as something for the ages. Masonry's look of permanence and low maintenance and operation costs are ideal for churches and institutions. With this in mind, the architect designed this building as the center of a masonry village soon to be built around it.
