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by Rachel Allen     Added April 25, 2009

As published in Worship Facilities, Mar/Apr 2009

Watermark Community Church, Dallas

Water is a force both destructive and renewing. Both qualities, either literally or symbolically, are woven throughout the Christian faith, so it is no wonder why it plays such a vital role in the vision of Watermark Community Church in Dallas. On its website, when explaining the name of the church, it is pointed out that water leaves a mark wherever it has been. Likewise, Watermark hopes to leave an impression on every person its staff comes in contact with, whether a devoted member or a fringe-believer. Core values of authenticity, integrity, simplicity and warmth help Watermark achieve this goal. The development of its facilities, a 370,000-square-foot campus along I-635 in north Dallas, pivots upon these values as well, and the result is a beautiful and effective home that is uniquely Watermark.

In 2004, growing weary of worshipping at a local high school, Watermark sent a team to look for property in Dallas, and found 13 acres adjacent to one of the state’s busiest intersections. The site appeared perfect, but Watermark leadership needed a sign, along with financial blessing. So the staff told the congregation about the land and then asked for financial gifts. “If they gave the amount needed, we would take it as a sign that God was in the purchase,” says Gary Stroope, Watermark’s senior arts director. “If the amount given was not enough for the land, all of the money was to be returned in self-addressed stamped envelopes.” God was in it, though, and the resources were more than enough to tack on the purchase of the site’s nine-floor office tower.

Once the land and office building were theirs, Watermark staff was faced with turning the new acquisition into a home—a facility built for community and reflective of the church’s foundational values. So staff created a “vision book” and sent it to several design firms, among them, Dallas-based retail specialty Omniplan. Different firms interviewed, but Omniplan obviously had a handle on Watermark’s vision, despite having no prior church design experience. “We were impressed that Omniplan got our style and values and had a great track record building public spaces that were functional and imaginative,” says Stroope. All of those public spaces make great use of natural light, modern design and warmth in gathering spaces, practices that ran in tandem with Watermark’s end goal.

The Vision Takes Form
Since hiring Omniplan, a three-phase master plan has been under way. During Phase I, the team went to work on the 150,000-square-foot office tower. The church was determined not to be defined by the corporate nature of the building and, with the cutting-edge expertise of Omniplan, turned six floors of the tower into administrative, children’s, youth and adult meeting space all designed in the “Watermark Way,” as contractors came to refer to the natural and simple design scheme.

The first two floors house a lobby and children’s spaces used dually with level three for Watermark’s expansive adult ministries. All three floors have a central large-group space and smaller meeting rooms lining the exterior walls. A warm color palette and inviting, intimate gathering spaces blanket the floors to promote unity. “It is especially important for these members of the church to connect with one another and build a strong sense of community,” says Scott Hall, a senior associate with Omniplan.

The fourth floor is dedicated youth space. It is eclectically cool and full of pool tables, lounge seating and durable wood floors. A mixture of small gathering areas is offset by the large theater that can accommodate concerts and other events. The floor also has a convenient kitchen and booth seating for a café feel.

Floors seven and eight are administrative levels with offices for pastoral and technical staff. Floors five, six and nine are reserved for future expansion and storage.

The changes and improvements to the tower allowed Watermark to move on site and begin holding services while they worked on future projects, the first being Phase II, which was completed in 2007 and provided the church with a 70,000-square-foot worship building, encompassing a 2,100-seat interim auditorium (Phase III and a 3,500-seat auditorium are currently under construction). “This building realized a carefully thought-out vision for the placemaking character of the campus and established Watermark’s permanent home at the location,” says Hall.

The Blessings of Permanence
As a building, the Phase II space physically embodies Watermark’s core values. The structure is modern and clean without being cold, and is set near a park greenbelt system. Sustainable concrete tilt-wall panels were stained after assembly to achieve a specific texture in keeping with the design intent, says Brian Duplechin, project manager with Dallas’s Rogers-O’Brien Construction, contractor for the project. The texture, married with a glass curtain-wall wrapping around the entry, makes a striking backdrop for the sandstone-encircled baptismal pond and landscape, which was accomplished using only native plants and regional, recycled materials.

Inside, the large open lobby is an invigorating gathering space at all times of day and night. It offers wireless Internet and a coffee bar and is seamlessly blended with the meeting rooms built in under the auditorium seats. The floor is stained concrete interrupted by square carpet inserts—a progressive design for a church, Duplechin asserts. The reductive detailing has given the space a minimalist, urban loft feel referred to as an “REI-vibe.” “Exposed structural and mechanical systems, as well as utilization of a raw, unfinished palette, informs and challenges notions about place,” says Hall.

The lobby flows into the half-moon auditorium where earthy colors from the rest of the building are carried throughout. “It is a space that is warm, real and authentic. It is comfortable, casual, like being around a campfire with friends,” says Stroope. Services are contemporary and relaxed and the design of the building puts every seat no more than 130 feet from the platform, ensuring that services are engaging and meaningful for all.

The environmental responsibility manifested in Watermark’s vision is reflected in the abundance of natural materials used in the design, including cedar planking, wood trusses and stone. Duplechin adds that the tilt-wall and steel construction, Tectum ceiling panels, low-E glazing, high efficiency mechanical systems and optimal Solar shading add to a green design that is positioned for LEED certification. The latter, combined with a Tracer Summit system for HVAC control, also aid in operational efficiency, according to Bob Rudy, Watermark’s facilities director.

Permanence for Watermark has also allowed the technical ministry team to put all of their energy into planning the services rather than working out location set-up and tear-down logistics. The end product is provoking and moving worship. “Watermark has shown a unique ability to use a high level of technology but maintain a very real, authentic feel,” says Robert Rose, a senior consultant within design firm Acoustic Dimensions’ Dallas office. The space hosts image magnification utilizing high-definition Grass Valley Cameras that project onto two Hurley screens. Images and graphics are also projected onto the architectural proscenium walls and a full-stage cyclorama (white fabric ideal for projection purposes) upstage. “[These] can be lit separately or together with imaginative content displayed by high-lumen projectors,” says Gene Pelland, director of sales with Clair Brothers Systems, a Lititz, Pa., audio design and installation company that worked with Acoustic Dimensions on the project.

The Final Piece
The Phase II building is linked to the office tower via a new sky bridge and will become the children’s education building when the new worship center is completed in December 2009. The third stage of construction will add 150,000 square feet to the campus, inclusive of the 3,500-seat sanctuary, a chapel for 350, a 500-seat multipurpose room, and a long-awaited 20,000-square-foot town center, which the entire community-focused campus has been planned around. The town center lobby will connect the worship center to the new children’s building and will include stone and stained concrete flooring, a stone fireplace surrounded by casual seating, a coffee bar, welcome center and space for community gatherings. “It will be so simple and so beautiful. It is a place you’ll want to stay for a long time,” says Deborah Fisher of Houston-based owner’s representation firm, Churchworx. During the first two phases of construction, Watermark leaned on in-house project management, but going into the complex final phase, they enlisted the help of Churchworx. According to Hall, this decision has already injected vitality and quality into the project.

The children’s building will be a two-story, little town experience with barnyard, neighborhood, market and lakeside classroom entries, and a family theater where children and parents will share special services. The lobby will be a park setting with a tree house or fort feature. “[This will] allow our children to have a relevant worship and learning environment for the first time in our existence as a church body,” Stroope says.

The new spaces are just that: space. Watermark would continue to do what they’re doing, even if the door for their new facilities had never opened, but it did, and now the vision for community connectivity is being realized. “Most importantly, we now have room for new people who want to come and be a part of Watermark,” concludes Stroope. And, once there, the impression may be made.

Rachel Allen is a freelance writer and marketing consultant. She can be reached at racheld_allen@yahoo.com.