Religious

Religious Projects

Partial Portfolio
Religious Project Portfolio

God gives each of us a gift. For my senior associate Mark Lee and me, it’s about putting spaces together in logical and harmonious ways that will enhance a person’s worship experience. It’s very exciting working with our clients, because by really including them in the design process we are able to create a solution that perfectly meets their needs.”


In 45 years, we have amassed a long list of successful projects, and while our primary focus has been educational, church, and office facilities, we believe ourselves to be “general practitioners” of architecture. By asking the right questions, and by listening closely to the answers, we transform your ideas into a reality. The most typical response? “That’s exactly what we envisioned!”


We approach each project in the same way: creating a design that connects to the past, functions in the present, and endures well into the future. We welcome the opportunity to demonstrate our ability to translate your vision into reality. We are committed to designing affordable, attractive, functional buildings that will help people to better enjoy their lives.

First Baptist Church - Sanctuary - Montgomery, AL

In 2004 David Payne was asked to design a major addition to this historical church. Payne’s design included a new 1,600 seat Sanctuary, a new Fellowship Hall for 400 people, a full Commercial Kitchen, a Music Suite for 200 people, a 2,000 SF Media Center, and Education space. This project cost $20.7 million.

First Baptist Church - Children's Wing - Montgomery, AL

A four story, 44,000 SF Preschool and Children’s Education Building addition as well as complete interior renovations to the existing 30,000 SF J. R. White Education Building. This project also includes a new four story Lobby connecting the two areas and a new 225 car parking lot. This $9.8 million project was completed in October 2010.

Perimeter Church - Marietta, GA

The church wanted a Master Plan that would completely develop the entire site. Design requirements included a 450,000 square foot facility, which was to be built in phases, the first phase of which was to include 140,000 square feet of worship, education, fellowship and recreation space. After selecting David H. Payne and his firm to implement the first phase of the Master Plan, which Payne had previously designed for the church, the building committee made it clear that they did not want the “traditional” church appearance. Payne developed forms that strived to blend historical elements with a contemporary plan that would meet the church’s design requirements that the building complex be solid, powerful, utilizing traditional architectural forms. The design requirements for the sanctuary were simply that the room should be a performing arts hall, yet have large walls of controllable natural light that would offer views from all seats in the room to the natural beauty of the site. 

Existing natural springs provided a water source for two man-made lakes Payne designed to complement the structure. Parking for 1200 cars wraps around the building to provide access to all entrances yet does not intrude on the natural development around the lake. In addition to the 2,300 seat Auditorium, which includes 10 complete theatrical sets and an acoustical shell, there is a Kindergarten through 8th grade School with 26 regular classrooms, Office and Library, and Porte Cochere; a regulation size Gymnasium; a 600 seat Fellowship Hall with adjacent commercial Kitchen; Church Administrative Offices, Library and Bookstore; and a 200 seat Music Suite. The church and church school were dedicated in September 1996 at a cost of $15,000,000. 

Central Baptist Church - Warner Robins, GA

The congregation of Central Baptist Church was growing rapidly. They purchased a heavily wooded site on the outskirts of Warner Robins, Georgia with the plan of constructing a new facility. After developing a master plan for the 10-acre site, David Payne began design for Phase One of the master plan - a new Sanctuary, Education and Fellowship building for the 1000 member congregation. The multi-use Sanctuary/Fellowship Hall is a large open space with a barrel-vaulted ceiling. The sides of the room can be divided with operable walls to create additional classrooms if needed. The building includes a choir suite, a commercial kitchen with serving area, a preschool suite and day school, a youth wing with separate youth assembly room, an administrative suite, a library, parlor and bride’s room, as well as new adult classrooms. The education wings were designed to be easily connected with the future additions of Phases Two and Three. The $10.2 million facility was completed in early 2005.

Briarwood Presbyterian Church - Birmingham, AL

In 1986 David Payne, partner in charge of design for PH&J Architects, created the original master plan for Briarwood Church, which included over 400,000 SF of space, 240,000 SF of which was built initially. In 1996 Briarwood Church hired Payne’s new firm, Borden McKean and Payne Architects, to update the master plan to include a 300-car parking deck, a large middle school/family life center, as well as refine the proposed additions to the main campus. Payne and his firm developed the final plans for a $4.6 million classroom, cafeteria, kitchen addition, fellowship hall expansion, canopy and porte cochere additions all of which have been constructed. The other proposed buildings were envisioned to be built over time.

As with all Master Plans, David Payne’s 1996 Master Plan for Briarwood was designed with built in flexibility to allow change in church building priorities and program philosophies to be incorporated into a modified and further updated plan. The result of the changes are illustrated in the Payne Lee and Associates 2007 Master Plan, a significant portion of which, $18 to $20 million, the church asked the firm to include in the design of the 2008 Expansion Plan.

After David Payne designed the 2007 Master Plan Update for Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama he and his partner Mark Lee developed the 2008 Expansion Plan for the church to include a 33,000 SF Adult Education Building, a 8,000 SF Children’s Auditorium, a 3,000 SF Youth Building, a covered pedestrian bridge between the Youth Building and the main campus, and a 3-story 385 car parking deck adjacent to the Youth Building.
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