Client: Our Lady of Victory

Location: Baltimore, MD

Owner: Archdiocese of Baltimore

Architect: Murphy & Dittenhafer, Inc.

Cost: $1.4 Million

The Our Lady of Victory campus is comprised of multiple interconnected buildings that house a school, gymnasium, church and rectory.  OLV required a Narthex addition that would serve as both a dramatic entrance to the campus and church as well as providing a gathering space for fellowship. The project consisted of a 2,000 sf steel and glass addition to the existing Nave and Narthex, along with an extensive renovation to Nave, Sanctuary and Narthex.

The new addition was attached to the existing building in multiple locations and is an open structure without any ceilings or interior walls.  Extensive care was taken to ensure that all ducts, piping, conduits, structural steel, etc. were installed with the knowledge that everything is exposed. An initial undimensioned set of structural steel shop drawings was used so that A.R. Marani, Inc. could expose critical parts of the building to verify existing conditions and obtain dimensions.  Using these dimensions the steel shop drawings were completed and subsequently used as the basis for the remaining subcontractor shop drawings for aluminum curtain wall systems, metal panel system, metal roofing and structural stud framing. The unique design of the addition required that ARM provide innumerable field measurements and a multitude of sketches to resolve connection details and layout issues.

During the course of construction ARM was able to identify cost savings ideas that allowed OLV to maintain their design intent and enable them to enhance the renovations since more funds were available.  The exterior aluminum rain skin system was changed to a composite metal panel system manufactured by ReynoBond resulting in thousands of dollars in savings. ARM also made recommendations to change several mechanical items resulting in savings and increased efficiency in operating systems. Campus activities, including school and church functions, were maintained during the construction period and operations during student pick up and drop off were also coordinated.