Mother Teresa Catholic Church

When Mother Teresa was ready to move from their leased space into a permanent facility, the congregation engaged Little to help create a Master Plan for their unbuilt, hilly, and wooded site. Little dove deep into the church’s mission to create a site plan design that would provide for all of their needs as they grow. Our design encompassed Diocesan and Town of Cary requirements for new developments, including close coordination for initial utility placements, balancing the initial earthwork, and providing for amenity spaces around the site. Planned pedestrian connections to the next door school, the Town Greenways, as well as the picnic space and outdoor columbarium, provide a variety of spaces for outdoor worship and gathering in a variety of weather conditions. Safety and access were huge priorities, so parking & accessible walkways were also incorporated to connect the amenity spaces and future buildings.

The first building designed for the site is the Worship Center building. The building is designed as a multipurpose worship and assembly space to hold 800 occupants, with soft daylight brought in through the high clerestory windows and office/ support spaces provided adjacent to the main assembly space. Future-proofing the Church’s use of this building was a priority through the planning process. Little was able to design provisions for the joint use of the assembly & lobby spaces, as well as the future conversion of offices into meeting rooms & classrooms, and the small kitchen into a full-size catering kitchen to support a variety of formal events & fundraisers. The main architectural features of the building include a wood glue-laminated arch superstructure with wood decking inside the main worship hall, along with a natural stone veneer, evocative of the humble strength and grounded presence of Saint Mother Teresa, the patron of the Church. Warm earth tones were used across the palette to create a design guide for the rest of the campus’ development.