Alice Drive Baptist Church
Pocalla Campus
This first satellite campus provides a welcoming and flexible environment designed to support gathering, learning, and community connection.
LOCATION Pocalla, SC
COMPLETED 2021
SIZE 15,000 SF
PHOTOGRAPHER Inspiro 8 Studios
A New Campus for Growth and Connection
The 15,000 SF facility serves as the church’s first satellite campus, extending its reach while providing space for a growing congregation. The campus includes a 300-seat gathering space, classrooms for children’s programs, support areas, and a light-filled lobby that serves as the central hub of activity and connection.
Careful site planning was a key driver of the design. The building is oriented around a significant existing tree, using the natural landscape as an organizing feature for the campus. The layout creates a welcoming arrival experience while establishing a stronger public presence along the primary approach road and a more open, approachable face toward parking and entry areas.
Design Details
The lobby is designed to wrap around the prominent tree, creating framed views to the outdoors and drawing visitors through the building toward the gathering space. This relationship between architecture and landscape reinforces the connection to the site while bringing natural light and views into the heart of the facility.
Roof overhangs provide shade and create outdoor gathering spaces that extend the function of the lobby beyond the building’s walls. These covered areas offer opportunities for informal interaction and support a seamless connection between indoor and outdoor environments.
The building is organized as distinct “blocks” for the education and gathering areas, reducing the overall scale of the facility and creating a more approachable character. This arrangement also provides flexibility for future growth, allowing either program area to expand as needs evolve while maintaining the integrity of the overall campus design.
