One of the main things I communicated to our design team was how the success of the non-profit center would be critical to the success of this project. Since we have learned that many non-profit clients are deterred by having to come in to a “church” facility, we strove to create a more logical separation between church facilities and non-profit facilities on the site while still maintaining good access between the two. When combined with the city's commercial design standards, this resulted in a 'main intersection' as you come in from St. John's Avenue where the 'church' buildings are to the right, and the non-profit center will be to the left.

In the new concept, we also make better use of the site's natural features. With these changes, we increase the efficiency of the site footprint and parking, work better with the natural topography of the land, save cost and better incorporate the land's natural beauty. The existing natural space around the oak grove is amazing. There is one live oak that has a 60-inch diameter! These trees are beautiful and create a great natural setting that can't be built with man-made materials.

We're excited about the direction of our current concepts, as they bring us even more closely in line with what we desire to accomplish through the use of these facilities for us and for others. A few refinements are still in the works so there may still be some additional changes, but for now check out the new layout below [learn more about the project design and the site plan].

Read much more and see a master plan for the site on the Project Overview page. 

It became apparent as we worked together this week that the players are all on the same page. We did and will continue to have healthy discussion about the particulars of design and construction as we measure them against the strong values of The Austin Stone and our vision to be a church for the city.

Please continue to pray for God to grant his wisdom and bring about our obedience as we work through the hundreds of difficult decisions in the near future. Pray that the process is just as God-honoring as the finished product.

We’re right now getting ready for the core project team kickoff in a couple of weeks on October 2, where we’ll bring our new construction contractor, our architect, our project manager, and The Austin Stone team all together for the first time.

Please pray specifically for this important meeting - that God would use it to align the hearts and minds of all the involved parties with the values that support who we are and what God has called us to do in Austin.

We'll be providing more specifics about the plans for the site as these talented individuals work together under the direction of our leadership team.

This vision will drive not only our church, but is the core of why we're even doing this building project. What God is calling us to move forward to do drives first the need for a facility, but also will drive every decision that goes into what the building will look like and how it will be built. We're launching a site for this next week that will help you start to get your head - and heart - around what we're doing and why. Read more on our Church for the City site.

So right now, we’re really still in the entryway to the design process. Those on our leadership teams are working together as we move forward with pre-construction work like getting the firms together, finalizing the master plan, and working out how to phase parts of the construction. There are a lot of foundational details being worked out right now, so please pray for God’s wisdom in these decisions and for what we build to be used by God as a tool for his work in our city.