LATIMER CHURCH BUILD

Detailed Design Update:

Praise God that as of Tuesday morning on the 2^nd of July 2024, the final documents of the detailed design process have been completed and submitted to the council for building consent! A package is being put together over the next few days which will be sent to the tendering firms so they can get started on the process of presenting Latimer with a proposal to construct the building.

The consultants and our architect Harvey Duncan have put in a monumental effort to get us to this point and this week marks a crucial step forward as we prepare to transition into the construction phase. Your continued prayers and support during this time are greatly appreciated as we navigate these final stages of planning.

Screw Piles Arrival:

Exciting news regarding our construction materials: the “screw piles” have been loaded into several containers and are scheduled to arrive in the country by mid-July (they are currently moored across the ditch in Botany). These piles are essential for the foundation of our new building, and their arrival will bring us one step closer to breaking ground. There are a total of 89 piles, each going down into the ground more than 20 meters!

Fundraising Progress:

Our fundraising efforts continue, and we are grateful for the generosity shown by our community so far. To date, we have raised $11.5 million of the $14.4 million needed to complete the “base build” of our new church home. While we still have a way to go, we are confident that with continued dedication and prayer, we can reach our goal. Please consider how you might contribute to this vital project – perhaps purchasing one (or some) of the piles which cost approximately $7.5k each.

For more information on how to support the project, please visit our fundraising page, or to ask any questions, please email barnaby@latimerchurch.nz.

Thank you for your unwavering support and commitment to Latimer Church. We are excited to see how God will continue to guide and bless this project

As 2023 draws to a close, the Rosebank project hits another milestone in the progress towards construction. In early December we received the “developed design” coordination drop, meaning that the design team (including our Architect Harvey Duncan and the rest of the consultants) have consolidated all of their various design areas into a single coordinated design. This will be the design set which will launch the push towards the final “detailed design” set early next year which will be used to seek building consent and tender.

This process has drilled even more into the detail, looking at things like lighting, surface finishes, storage sizes and requirements for things like chairs or trestle tables.

Along with this design set, we have received some updated 3d renders of the building which you will see below.

As we continue to entrust this project to God and rely on his provision for the funds to complete it, we are incredibly encouraged by the generosity of the Latimer community and those outside who are financially committing to seeing the Kingdom grow in Christchurch through this new facility. If you would like to pledge or donate to this project, please visit the fundraising page. We ask for your continued prayer for the provision of the necessary funds to move into the next phase of construction in the new year.

The last several months have seen us progressing well through the detailed design stage. A few months ago we moved through the “preliminary” stage of detailed design, and are now starting to develop the details even further. We have held several meetings with stakeholder groups to ensure that the design of the building matches the ways we see it being used for ministry and the benefit of Gods Kingdom.

We are also currently in the second fundraising campaign for the Latimer congregation. This is the final push to raise a further $2m to fund the project. Praise God that $1.35m has been pledged/donated so far from 127 families/households.

If you would like to donate or pledge to the project, please visit https://build.latimerchurch.nz/fundraising/.

We will also be having a final working bee on the Rosebank site on Saturday 4th November from 9am. We would love a big turn out for this, with many tasks to do including cleaning, packing, shifting and gardening. You can sign up here.

The detailed design phase is getting well under way with the design team of architect, project staff and consultants working through various components of detail within the building. Currently much of the focus is on the auditorium, balancing all of the pieces together including mechanical systems (airflow), acoustics and visuals, lighting and windows to name a few. At the bottom of this update is an image of the current iteration of the south facing windows which is a finned system, not only does this provide diffused light into the auditorium and the ability to black out if need be, but it also provides a mechanism to stay within the acoustic bleed confines set out by the resource consent.

We also recently launched our final fundraising campaign for the Latimer Church community. This is a $2 million campaign to get the project over the line and provide the board with assurance that they can enter the tendering phase with the completed project budget of $13 million.

Please visit build.latimerchurch.nz/fundraising to find out more

February of 2023 has seen two milestones of the project.

Firstly, we have received resource consent approval for the application we put in to the council. Praise God for this fantastic news as it keeps the project moving and provides us with helpful guidance from the council to make informed decisions during the detailed design phase.

Secondly, we have officially broken ground at Rosebank and had the first digger on site! To be clear this is not the main building works which will God willing be starting later on this year, but some work that needed to be done to create a stormwater system along the North side of the main parking lot.

Praise God that we have seen some exciting momentum at the start of the year, please continue to pray for our consultants and project leaders as they get stuck into the detailed design of the new building, and for the Latimer Church congregation as we prayerfully enter into a time of fundraising $2m towards the project.

We recently held a Church meeting to share with the Latimer congregation the concept plans recommended by the Latimer Trust.

If you missed the evening you can find a recorded video below.

We also have a copy of the powerpoint presentation which can be found here

The Latimer Build Project Board were recently presented with both initial concept design plans and a report from the Quantity Surveyor (providing an initial budget estimate for the concept). This is the first target of work from many people over the last several months, and we give God glory and praise for getting us to this point and providing the people and expertise to move this project forwards.

Unsurprisingly given the state of the current building industry, the estimate came back higher than anticipated in the original project brief. While it does mean we need to re-look at some parts of the project, is a good point in the project to be getting this sort of feedback in order that we can adjust and firm up on both the concept and budget.

The Project Board provided the project build team with some direction during their last meeting which lays out the work needing to be done over the next few months;

Firstly; clarifying a budget limit for the project cost in light of the initial concept design and related QS report. This provides the project build team with clear updated parameters to work with, but also ensures that funds raised (and to be raised) are stewarded well.

Secondly; requesting that the Project Build team work over the next few months to provide the Board with design options that still achieve the primary purpose of the project as set out by the brief while staying within budget. The primary purpose here is best described as “function over form” – making sure that the core elements of the building (size, layout etc…) serve the mission of Latimer Church, and “not just us, not just now” – ensuring that consideration is given to future generations using the buildings.

Please pray for us as we work through these elements, that the Lord will continue to guide and support us.

Geoff Banks (Project Director)

As was mentioned in our previous update (read it here), we are nearing the end of the concept design phase. Over the coming weeks and months, concept plans will be presented to the project board and shared with the congregation. We are very excited to share these initial images with you as a bit of a “teaser” for what is coming up! It’s important to clarify that these images are conceptual and will change as the project continues to develop.

We are so thankful that the Rosebank site is being well used as we progress the design and prepare to undertake construction of Latimer’s new home. We are currently nearing the end of the concept design phase, having received extensive congregation input, brought together a design team, and worked with ministry teams to develop a concept for the major parts of the project: Where the building sits on the site, the broad layout of spaces, and what these might look like both inside and outside.

The concept phase is critical to streamline the detailed design phase, and then construction. Over the next month we are resolving the concept drawings for review by the board and presentation to the congregation. We are also looking to provide a more detailed estimate of the project cost soon after, so that we can all consider what is presented, provide any further feedback, and more formally decide on progressing to the next stage. The construction industry has its challenges at this time, but we have been blessed in many ways with the project to date. Please continue to pray that the Lord will continue to guide and support us to serve His purpose through this new home for Latimer Church.

Geoff Banks (Project Director)