Memphis Union Mission - Opportunity Center - Phase 1

383 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38105 United States

Building Area (sf): 61,050

Completion: Ongoing

Architect of Record:

Pickering Firm, Inc.

Tim Ogburn, AIA, LEED AP (Project Manager, Lead Architect)
Kevin Getman, AIA (Architect)
Tom McConnell, AIA, LEED AP (Architect)
Tom Moisan, RA (Architect)
J. Raul Cardenas (Architectural Project Designer)
Bernard Irving (Senior Architectural Technician)
Cara Martin, PE (Civil Engineer)
Marvin Brown, PE (Civil Engineer)
Yousef Saleh, PE (Chief Structural Engineer)
Albert Chiang (Senior Structural Technician)
Bill Woods, RLS (Survey Manager)
Ron Fuller, PE, LEED AP (Chief Electrical Engineer)
Mike Bilderbeck, PE, FASHRAE (Chief Mechanical/Fire Protection Engineer)
John Foshee, PE (Senior Mechanical Engineer
John Hamilton, PE (Mechanical Engineer)
Bobby Biggs (Plumbing Designer)

• Owner/Client:
• General Contractor: Linkous Construction
• Electrical: Blair Parker Design (BPD) | Landscape Architecture
  Valli Design Studio | Interior Design
  Spirit Architecture | Architectural Consultant
  Griffith C. Burr | Fire Protection Consultant
  Memphis Audio | Acoustical & A/V Consultant
  Entegrity Partners | Building Envelope Commissioning/Energy Efficiency Consultant/Commissioning Agent Cx Consultant
• Engineering:
  
• Other:
  
• Photography:
  1. Memphis Union Mission - Opportunity Center North Elevation Along Poplar Avenue. The Façade is welcoming and utilizes large areas of glazing to engage with the streetscape. The elevation evokes strength, comfort, warmth & compassion and draws people who seek help inside. Photo by Steve Austell.
  
  2. Central Lobby Day Space – This space allows for large quantities of natural light. This space allows the guests to sit in comfort and receive the help they need. The blue, grey & wood tone color palette was selected to evoke calmness and serenity. The blue, grey and wood tone color palette also helps to promote a feeling of peacefulness, tranquility, security and safety. The blue color was chosen so that guests who are not comfortable in enclosed spaces feel like they are still open to the sky under the ceiling clouds and disks. Photo by Steve Austell.
  
  3. This is the view from the courtyard looking North. This eventually will be a fully landscaped courtyard in future phases to allow the guests to engage with nature while seeking help. This images shows off the openness of the facility’s windows at twilight against a beautiful Memphis sky. Photo by Steve Austell.
  
  4. The Café’ Serving Line / Dining Hall at Memphis Union Mission. This image showcases the conversion of the former warehouse on the site to a new café & full service kitchen. This space creates an environment of dignity and helps to encourage group conversation and community. This space is filled with natural light and is now fully ADA compliant. Photo by Steve Austell.
  
  5. Central Lobby Hall - From here, guests can seat themselves and begin the healing process. If they so choose, the guests also have the ability to walk and roam in the space while being monitored in a safe environment. This space provides the guests the ability to relax, sit with staff and counselors and begin to learn how to overcome the individual challenges in their lives. To help inspire them in their journey, art created by the patrons of the Mission will hang in the acrylic stand offs on the wall. Photo by Steve Austell.
  
  6. Vestibule & Check In at guest reception. The materials utilized in the color palette create a welcoming, soothing and inviting environment. The natural wood grain provides a spiritual connection with the guests and patrons. Wood symbolizes warmth, wisdom, knowledge and peace. The wood also evokes a feeling of renewal and symbolizes a bond between man and the divine. The two story space has large areas of glazing to provide light to the space. It also allows for the spirits of the guests to soar and feel open to a potential new life. It allows them to be ready to receive the change that they seek. This check in station also provides security for the staff while they perform the initial guest assessments. Photo by Steve Austell.
  
  7. Pre-Function Space - The Pre-Function space is located on the second floor of the building and looks out onto the beautiful downtown Memphis skyline. The large expanse of two story glazing presents a lantern type effect along the streetscape at night calling people that seek help to come inside the building and get help. The building engages with the streetscape. This space will also be utilized by the staff of the facility as well as for events with dignitaries, visitors, guests and potential donors. The guests staying the night at the Memphis Union Mission understand the sense of purpose this establishment conveys as the building engages with the community. Photo by Steve Austell.
  
  8. Café Dining Area – Another view of the café dining hall which seats approximately 275. The materials used are durable, sustainable and antimicrobial. This cafe includes individual or group seating under staggered height clouds, which promote conversation by aiding with acoustics. Photo by Steve Austell.
  
  9. In the state-of-the-art, Volunteer Serving Kitchen looking out toward the café. This is a full service commercial kitchen that can serve 3 full meals a day for all guests, visitors staff and patrons. One can grasp the number of meals that can be provided by volunteers. Outside organization volunteers will help serve the guests from this kitchen. This kitchen will be operational 7 days a week serving meals 365 days a year. Photo by Steve Austell.
  
  10. The Power Plant Boiler Room. This photo conveys the sense of how complicated the engineering coordination for this facility this is. Each one of these two boilers has the capacity of 4,000 BTU’s per hour. This power plant will eventually serve all three phases of the project once they are completed. Photo by Steve Austell.
  
  
  

Pickering was selected to provide architectural and engineering design for the Memphis Union Mission’s Opportunity Center, which will serve as Memphis and Shelby County’s primary emergency shelter. The new facility will allow the Mission to enhance their services and capacity - which has been limited due to lack of space - and better address the needs of Memphis. When complete, the facility will house up to 150 daily guests with the potential of housing an additional 300+ temporary overflow guests during various times of need (450+ total). Program elements include classrooms, meeting spaces, assembly areas, offices and support, as well as food service, worship space, clinics and dorms.

Phase I of this project for Memphis Union Mission consists of an Opportunity Center, which is a 61,050-SF men’s emergency shelter in downtown Memphis, Tennessee with an extremely complex and diverse program serving up to 450 overnight guests. The Opportunity Center will eventually become incorporated into Memphis Union Mission’s 105,000-SF campus.

Located In Medical District Overlay, this building was designed utilizing the concepts put forward in the Uniform Development Code. Phase I Program elements include classrooms, meeting spaces, assembly areas, offices and support, as well as food service, worship space, clinics and dorms. This is an institutional facility with the feel of a comfortable retreat.

Pickering is providing full architectural and facility engineering services, as well as construction documentation and construction administration services, for the complete reconstruction of this facility. The mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems in the redesign have a modular, redundant design that will allow for continuous operation even when portions of the systems are down for repair or during extreme events. Guest spaces are arranged around a large open courtyard, with exterior views and generous daylight, while providing a clean break with the surrounding neighborhood. Generous street front glazing engages the volunteer and community areas with the street.

Pickering’s involvement included programing, master planning, and construction documentation. Construction is currently underway and completion is expected in the Fall of 2021.