St. Mark’s Episcopal Church

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church is situated on a hilltop just South of the Barton Creek Greenbelt within a mixed forest of Ashe Junipers and Live Oaks.

The campus’s adjacency to the Greenbelt creates a remarkable opportunity for designing spaces with strong inside‐outside connections that make landscape and buildings feel as one.
The landscape will feature a range of exterior gathering spaces for both parishioners and for the Church’s pre‐ school families. Adjacent to the church will be a columbarium that overlooks the forest and rolling terrain.
Sustainable practices are emphasized with particular emphasis placed on preserving trees as an articulated part of the welcoming and gathering experience.
Heritage Live Oaks will be a central feature at the campus entry and large masses of trees will be preserved to reduce wildlife habitat fragmentation and provide zones for wildlife movement along with minimizing soil erosion.
The design approach is intended to be statement of both stewardship and initiative. The campus will offer positive social, health and environmental contributions to the neighborhood as well as to the larger community—both natural and human.
In this special place, landscape will be an integral part of worship, gathering, and learning in both dynamic and comforting ways. Co’design is pleased to be collaborating with Overland Partners Architects on this exciting project.