Zion Hill Love Center

Introduction

Harris + Smith Architecture retained the Nadi Group and Skyline Engineering Inc. to create a design for a sunken garden plaza and children’s playground for the Zion Hill Baptist Church—a mega church and campus in Buford, GA.

Project Summary

We took inspiration from the already established aesthetic of the Zion Hill Baptist Church. As with many traditional homes and buildings in the South, the architect of the church used red bricks to construct the building. Therefore, we aimed to have our design enhance and complement the infrastructure. On the property, there are three buildings, including the church, community center and daycare, and offices. On the northeast side of the community centre and daycare (and where the playground sits), there is a significant elevation change on the ground that required a large concrete retaining wall. We proposed a unique solution to screen a large wall and detail out a custom trellis system that would transition into a railing. For the garden plaza, located on the southeast side of the community center, we recommended German lights and benches to complement the traditional influences and create a space that would be calming and tranquil.

Our Role

We produced the conceptual design for approval along with the detailed drawings for construction.