Center City Church Commissions "Green" Architect Frank Harmon for New Master Plan

Raleigh, NC, December 16, 2007 --(PR.com)-- First Presbyterian Church in Raleigh has commissioned Frank Harmon Architect to design a master plan for the entire church campus, which is located on the corner of Morgan and Salisbury streets in the downtown district, on the southeast corner of Capitol Square.

According to Frank Harmon, FAIA, his firm is working on a plan that will unite the different elements of the campus, provide open green space within the campus, introduce principles of environmentally sustainability, and improve the property’s accessibility, which features a five-foot grade change.

If the congregation approves Harmon’s plan, it will also involve replacing the current two-story educational building with a three-story structure (including basement), The new building will feature such “green” elements as a vegetated roof, an abundance of natural light and ventilation through atria and window placement, a geothermal heating/cooling system (or ground source heat pumps), and rainwater collection cisterns. Materials used will be locally available and, wherever possible, recycled.

The sanctuary also will be renovated to uncover original detailing that a previous remodeling obscured.

First Presbyterian Church was founded in 1861 and met in a small brick building on the same corner in downtown Raleigh until a sanctuary was erected in 1900. That sanctuary was remodeled in 1956. The current educational facility was built in 2001.

Frank Harmon Architect is an award-winning firm based in Raleigh. The firm recently completed a thoroughly “green” addition to the oldest church in Charleston, SC, the Circular Congregational Church on Meeting Street, which was praised at the Duke Endowment’s October conference “Trends in Modern Church Architecture: The Artistry and Greening of Our Churches.”

For more information on Frank Harmon, visit http://www.frankharmon.com.

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