Downey & Scott acted as Owner Representative / Construction Manager and performed Commissioning Services for the recent phase renovation and addition to the existing 64-year-old First Baptist Church of Alexandria. 

The existing building consisted of three buildings: the Worship Center, the Education Wing, and the Faith Activities Center. The new additions of 17,700 square feet were constructed on either side of the existing Worship Center, with new stairwells to accommodate the additional occupancy load and egress, between the existing building and present renovations. The existing church underwent major abatement services to remove lead and asbestos before the start of the renovations and new additions. The existing interior areas surrounding the sanctuary, including classrooms, gathering areas, and restrooms, endured a complete renovation with major structural upgrades.

The project included updated code revisions to include ADA compliance, life safety, and energy efficiency upgrades of lighting and HVAC; as well as increasing sanctuary seating capacity by twenty-five percent. The project also provided state-of-the-art audio and visual systems; improved lighting, acoustics, and congregation comfort; refurbishing and rebuilding of the existing organ for church services; improved digital media capabilities; enlargement of gathering areas (by 2,500 square feet); and increased education space by 4,300 square feet and storage space by 2,700 square feet. The second phase consisted of 18,000 square feet of new restrooms, lighting, life safety, and HVAC upgrades for Sunday school space and weekly childhood educational space. The major backbone infrastructure of the second phase was installed during phase one of the project, allowing for a lower-cost build-out for the classrooms and additional needed restrooms in phase 2.