Master Plan Revisions for:

Mt. Zion United Methodist Church
Central, South Carolina
Adam Ormsbee

When first introduced to the site, the clients stressed many of their concerns for the future development of the site. They wanted a flexible plan with adequate parking, gathering spaces, plazas with possible water features, and meditation or memorial gardens. The current site is covered largely by a newly paved asphalt parking lot in the front, a rarely used ball field on the northwest corner, and a large wooded area that is overrun with invasive species on the eastern back half of the lot.
The architect for the church designed an addition for the church, which was slightly off-line with the existing building. The main design theme that was implemented on this site was that of the axis. The buildings create a strong east-west axis on the property. To accent this, trellis was added to the gap in between the two buildings and a new entryway proposed to the eastside of the new addition. The trellis would then extend into the back half of the site, where Zelkova trees are proposed to frame the view. A north-south axis will also be created by trellis and an allee of Tea Olives. This path would lead to a cross-shaped plaza to the north and a nature trail with seating to the south.
Within the plaza raised planters would be filled with fragrant biblical plants such as Rosemary and Lavender. Seating is pulled back and wrapped around the beds to create L-shaped seating areas. Materials fin the plaza would consist of bricks to create a sense of formality. To fulfill the need of a memorial, certain bricks could be made specially with the names of the donors recessed into the face. This would give donors a sense of ownership and allow them to see how their individual contributions came together to create one large memorial. Where the planter beds cross, a five to six-foot tall fountain with three tiers would be placed with running water. The water would be a calming feature in the plaza and allow the space to be used as a meditation garden as well.
The nature trail consists of a four-foot wide mulch trail with seating pulled back to create an uninterrupted pathway. The pathway winds around existing trees to create gentle curves. Behind the seating Azaleas create a backdrop to enclose the area and reduce the scale of the space.
Sustainability is an important concept in this design. In order to keep the parking lot from seeming too overwhelming, several methods were implemented. The only area that would be paved is the main strip in the middle of the lot. The actual spaces would be filled with a porous material to decrease runoff on the site. Large deciduous trees are placed closely together and some parking spaces are removed to decrease temperatures and reduce the impact of the lot. Native species of plants such as Azalea, Dogwood, Oak, and, Redbud were placed in the design to insure the health and longevity of the site.