Bedford Baptist Church

A turn-key addition, the Bedford Baptist Church was initially slated to be constructed with conventional brick veneer with a concrete foundation. However, the client opted to switch to Tilt-Up because the use of inlay brick eliminated the high elevation work. Further, Tilt-Up allowed the church to continue to operate during the entire renovation.

The construction team’s ability to achieve the same architectural statement as the original church that was constructed in 1963 was one of the mitigating factors that judges believed made in worthy of an award.

Since the project was an addition, the Tilt-Up panels had to match the existing brick and window detailing. To aid in this task, the construction team reused the sills from the original windows in the new Tilt-Up panels. Brick returns and corners were used on triangular windows, and the six-foot diameter round window and a 15-foot round semi-circle opening were trimmed in thin brick.

The panels acted as retaining walls and provided the foundation walls for the basement level, which eliminated an expensive full basement wall that would have impaired access to the church during the project. Further, the load-bearing properties of the panels eliminated all support angles and a large gluelam beam designed to hold the high roof was not required. Irregular shaped panels were used to form the pitch of the church roof.

Tilt-Up eliminated moisture penetration concerns typically associated with traditional brick in this market.