A recent dedication for the new Cambridge Stake Center for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) built by Consigli Construction marks a growing trend in the church for building in urban areas. The new $20 million Ward and Stake Meeting House, located on Binney St. in Kendall Sq., is a landmark project for the LDS in size and location. The 36,000 s/f, two-story building includes a large and a small chapel, a multi-purpose recreation hall, classrooms, and offices. Typically, LDS meeting houses are built in suburban areas, however, this center is an urban in-fill project located in a constricted site in close proximity to neighbors in a commercial/industrial area.
The usual requirement for onsite ground level parking for a church of this size was provided with two levels of parking built 20 feet below grade. Consigli met the challenges of building on the tight site by working quickly to prepare for the garage foundation and then build upward, using the garage floor for staging. Consigli worked with local agencies to remove contaminants in the soil and perform a de-watering process requiring filtration tanks.
"Consigli has been great to work with", said Stake president, Gordon Low. "They have been organized, buttoned down, and on top of all of the details. They managed the critical path to make sure that this 18-month project finished right on time and did an excellent job keeping church members informed of the status of construction via a website with timelines and pictures."
During the construction of the Cambridge Stake Center, Consigli was also tapped to provide emergency stabilization and repairs following a devastating three-alarm fire which displaced three congregations at the church's Longfellow Park Meeting House, located in Harvard Square. Consigli was later hired to rebuild the chapel.
Architect for the Cambridge Stake Center was Burt Hill; structural engineer and building enclosure consultant was Simpson Gumpertz & Heger.