The almost 30-year-old sanctuary at the Second Baptist Church Worship Center in Houston was severely damaged during Hurricane Ike and had to be rebuilt as quickly as possible to allow services to resume in the main sanctuary.

Second Baptist Church Worship Center Renovations, Houston
Photo: Tellepsen Builders

Demolition and redesign started in January 2009, and the first service was held just eight months later. The scope of work included complete demolition of all finishes and the installation of new audiovisual systems. The job required the erection of 40,000 sq ft of scaffolding 50-ft high to install new audio/visual and ceiling finishes.

The sanctuary is in the center of the campus and surrounded by other buildings, which meant that all deliveries and equipment had to be routed through adjacent building hallways via hand dollies. The project team created a master schedule for design, permit, pricing and construction to ensure that the eight-month completion schedule was achieved. Key subcontractors were brought on board early to help with scheduling lead times for materials and budgeting.

Logistic plans were created for material deliveries and routing, requiring crews to work around the on-campus school and daily church activities. Weekly coordination meetings and daily project meetings helped identify obstacles and plan around numerous events at the church.

Key Players

Submitted by: Tellepsen Builders
Owner/developer: Second Baptist Church, Houston
General contractor: Tellepsen Builders, Houston
Architect: Kendall Heaton Associates, Houston
Structural engineer: Walter P Moore, Houston
MEP engineer: CHP and Associates, Houston