Established in St. Louis in 1928, the Mount Grace Convent is one of only 18 convents of the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters in the world. KAI provided design/build, architecture and estimating/scheduling services on the $2.8 million project, which included demolition of the existing termite-damaged rectory and two adjacent residences, and construction of a new two-story addition, garage and 65-space parking lot. The lay office remained open and operational during the construction.
"The project started at $120,000 to simply replace the existing termite-damaged rectory," said KAI Project Manager Marcus Moomey. "Then, the Pink Sisters wanted to add three bedrooms for visitors and guests, as well as a kitchen, eight bedrooms for themselves and a basement. When the Mother Sister came from Germany to meet with KAI, she decided that all future international conferences would be held in St. Louis, so even more rooms were needed for the visiting sisters.
Eventually, the Pink Sisters decided to buy the adjacent lots and create a 65-space parking lot for special events." The new addition was constructed of load bearing masonry with precast floors and roofs. Special attention was given to matching the detailed brick and cut stone of the original convent. The project began in September 2006 and was completed in February 2008, on-time and within the sisters' new budget.
To help pay for the parking lot, the Pink Sisters held fundraisers and sold t-shirts.
By utilizing Building Information Modeling (BIM) software, KAI was able to provide the sisters with realistic images of what the new facility would look like before it was constructed. BIM also allowed KAI to closely monitor the material changes and construction estimates to keep the project within budget.
