Grace Church
Eden Prairie, MinnesotaReflecting God's Grace and the soaring human spirit, Grace Church is a solidly grounded structure that reaches out with broad views to the Minnesota River Valley.
The buildings are reached from 2,000 parking spaces sited near the north entry to receive morning sun. At the heart of the campus, the spacious Worship Center will seat 4,500 people. Before and after services, worshippers can flow out into dramatic Commons/Grand Lobby with large windows overlooking the campus and the valley beyond.
The buildings nestle along an upper plateau of the site and wrap a pond and meadow with warm southwestern winter sun. Future expansion to the east of the pond will include Education, a Family Life Center (a facility for athletics) and a building for student ministries.
Curved roof forms evoke outstretched hands receiving grace and forgiveness. The Worship Center's central roof is a gently tipping plane that parallels the sloping hill of the site. Reflecting God's Grace and humanity's rootedness in the fertile earth, the light and airy central roof and roof wings are solidly grounded in a strong foundation on the hillside.
On the west end of the Grand Lobby, a Fellowship Hall accommodates 2,000 for meals and an intimate chapel seats 375 for weddings and funerals. The lower portion of the site will house athletic fields, trails and retreat spaces.