Location: Smithville, Missouri
Year Completed: 2011
Size: 25,000 SF

HMN Architects in association with Castrop Design Group was hired by the Good Shepherd Catholic Church and the Kansas City – St. Joseph Diocese to design a new church for the parish relocation. Creating a master plan for the 32-acre site was the first step. It included space for the church, chapel, school, gym, day care, outdoor recreation and rectory.

After completing the master plan, HMN’s design team began designing the first phase. The client’s goal was to create a building that was historically symbolic utilizing traditional ecclesiastic design elements. It features a 70-foot bell tower, 500-seat church, a fellowship narthex (foyer), offices, parish hall with a commercial kitchen, as well as school of religion classrooms. Design features include a column free basement of long span composite concrete floor, a stiffer and less expensive approach. The worship space is expandable to 700 seats. A future 70 seat adoration apse was included in the design.

This project team encountered several challenges on the project. The first was obtaining utilities economically. HMN negotiated with the City of Smithville for shared costs of public infrastructure. Another challenge was the integration of multiple construction systems. Concrete block, heavy timber, steel and formed concrete were used to achieve the design the client desired without being cost prohibitive. Finally, although the diocese and parish had different objectives, HMN worked with both to find the best, mutually agreeable solution.