The current site of Grace Church in Monroe, Georgia, was a post-World War II era school campus comprised of a few buildings that the Church repurposed for the use of its church facilities. Some of the existing buildings on the site were converted into a gym, admin. offices, conference rooms, and classrooms, a Church-operated community café, and a large worship building. An abandoned building on the site was converted into student housing for seminary students sponsored by the Church.

Axis was contracted to do a preliminary (schematic) design for housing that could be built within the existing classroom building. The design consisted of six apartment units – (4) four-bedroom units and (2) one-bedroom units. In the center of the building is a small community space (625 SF) as well a laundry room for the units. A series of small patio spaces were designed off of the existing sidewalk that runs the entire length of the backside of the building, facing the Church’s parking area and outdoor recreational area.

The project is a steel framed structure with masonry exterior walls. All of the new apartment units and the community room feature new doors and windows, along with fresh paint for the exterior masonry, and new exterior finishes on the Midland Avenue side of the building to enhance curb appeal. All new HVAC, electrical, and lighting systems were added throughout the building.

Axis developed floor plans, exterior renderings of the proposed building as seen from Midland Avenue, and a work scope narrative for contractor pricing were provided to Grace Church to use for construction fundraising efforts.