First Unitarian Society unveils $9.1 million 'green' addition
Because it is so architecturally striking and so well known, its Frank Lloyd Wright designed Meeting House has become the emblem of the First Unitarian Society of Madison, but a beautiful new and "green" building addition is a symbol of the community's commitment to the environment, members say.
That commitment reflects the group's values, they say.
"Respect for the interdependent web of life is one of our Unitarian principles. We have a strong commitment to protect the earth and make choices that are good for humans and all critters on earth, and for future generations. To do anything less than that would have been against our principles," said Brian Joiner, a congregation member who on Sunday was welcoming visitors to FUS's $9.1 million addition to its landmark meeting house, 900 University Bay Dr. on Madison's near west side.
The congregation threw open its doors and invited the community in to see the new atrium addition as part of a weekend of activities celebrating its dedication that included lectures by Robert Fulghum, author of "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten," worship services, special choral performances and a musical recital.
The green features of the building, which won the exacting LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, were a special focus of the open house.
Those features include: a geothermal heating and cooling system tied to a natural ventilation system; design features to take advantage of natural light while avoiding the heat of direct sunlight; recycled materials and materials with low volatile organic compounds; a roof system topped with soil and Sedum plants to control storm water runoff and insulate the building; and rain gardens.
The addition curves in an arc opposite the historic building, whose angular lines are visible through floor-to-ceiling windows that run the length of the new construction.
One challenge for the designers, The Kubala Washatko Architects, Inc. of Cedarburg, was to come up with a design complementary to, but distinct from, Wright's original building, Joiner said. "You don't copy the master. If it looked like (the original) building, people would not know which was the real thing the master designed. They had to come up with different shape."
The curved shape that is the motif of the addition grew from the triangle concept of the original building, said congregation member David Weber. "They set a radius point at the pulpit of the historic church and that generated a series of parallel arcs. It copied Wright in that there is a geometric plan, but this is spoken in circumference."
"Everywhere you go in this building, you are aimed at the pulpit," Joiner said.
In the 500-seat auditorium, yellow pine and birch walls rise from a "turkey red" colored cement floor. A visible system of rods in the exposed ceiling helps buttress the roof with its load of soil and plants. Daylight pours in as it does in most of the building, but an automatic curtain closes over east-facing windows if the natural light grows too bright. The small lamps dotting the acoustically baffled ceiling turn on when needed.
Small groups of people toured the space at a steady pace. There has been a lot of interest in the new building, said congregation member Martin David.
"People really want to know what you can do when you try to be more sensitive to the environment. And the reaction has also been one of pleasure at the space because now we have a large common area in front of the auditorium where people can gather and socialize," David said. Comparable space in the landmark building was narrow, and often dark.
Tucked away in an equipment room are the "chiller" and other equipment that cycle water and glycol from the building's heating and air conditioning system to some 40 250-foot wells beneath the parking lot where it is stored until needed to raise or lower the temperature of the building.
"It's an innovative system," said Scott Olsen, a congregation member and engineer specializing in energy efficiency.
The public seemed to like what they saw.
"It's sensitively done and respectful of the original building," said Catherine Haynes of Stoughton, an interior designer touring the addition with a family group that included her retired architect father.
Palmer Haynes noted that the addition's arrangement on the site was sensitive to the landmark building, especially in how the addition is joined to it by a glass-walled corridor that gives the impression that it doesn't quite touch the original structure. "It just comes up and says hello," Haynes said.
Weber said that the addition has injected a new energy into the congregation, sending attendance at services soaring and tempting people to hang around and socialize so long afterwards that they're bumping into people attending the later services.
"I think it has unleashed a lot of volunteerism. It's an inspiring space. It makes people want to do things," he said.
Pat Schneider/The Capital Times
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David Weber, shown in the balcony of the atrium auditorium, says the addition has injected new energy into the congregation.
