Hope Lutheran selects General Contractor to build new elementary school



Just weeks after the beginning of the 2001 school year, Southside Constructors, Inc. began its most unique project to date: the construction of Gastonia’s first Lutheran school.  The uniqueness of the project lied not in its specific design or size but in the actual development and construction of Hope Lutheran School utilizing the design and building practices of a program developed by Daniel Cook & Associates (DCA), an architectural firm based in Salt Lake City, Utah, known as “Building God’s Way.”  The program forms a unique alliance among several participating groups: Southside Constructors, Inc. for one; DCA; and the entire Hope Lutheran congregation.  It is the last contributor that really makes the project one-of-a-kind in that no decision regarding the project is finalized without first consulting the Hope Lutheran constituents.  In fact, before DCA will even get involved in a new construction project, the building committee must vote unanimously in favor of the “Building God’s Way” program thus creating an equal playing field for all involved parties. 

In the case of Hope Lutheran, the three peer groups worked  together to create:

• A building budget of $62.00 per SF including wrapping the school’s exterior with masonry and synthetic stucco
• Clean, crisp interior areas including classrooms, administrative offices, a full-service commercial-grade kitchen, and a gymnasium centrally located to all portions of the school
• A cafetorium complete with a performance stage
• A mechanical penthouse was created to accommodate all mechanical and electrical gear away from sight and away from inquisitive children·