Land Development

Union Gospel Mission's LifeChange Building

The Union Gospel Mission (UGM) has been feeding the hungry and operating a substance-abuse recovery program since 1927. The UGM desperately needed a larger building to expand its operations. The mission purchased and demolished two old buildings to the south of its original structure to make way for the new LifeChange building.

DEA provided the FEMA 310 analysis and evaluation, structural engineering services from schematic design through construction administration, and mat slab foundation design. The post-tensioned structural system and mat foundation allowed for faster construction while also allowing alignment with the adjacent Union Gospel Mission building.

Incorporating the old with the new, the LifeChange building includes brick, steel, glass, and an 8-foot roof-top concrete cantilever, which creates a more modern interpretation of the cornices decorating most of the neighborhood’s buildings.