Convoy of Hope Global Headquarters

Architect Jonathan Dodd said the toughest challenge in developing Convoy of Hope’s Global Headquarters and Training Center came years before a shovel hit the ground.

“There was a lot of effort in just finding the right location for the buildings,” said Dodd, director of architecture and vice president at Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective. “We had to figure out how this would work together to service this campus and do it in a way that would not impact future growth.”

The nonprofit’s headquarters officially opened last month and connects via a skywalk to Convoy’s already completed World Distribution Center. Dodd said the team’s work on grading, stormwater, utilities, site layout and traffic patterns transformed the vacant farmland into a hub for Convoy’s international humanitarian relief efforts and brings all local staff to one location for the first time in its 30-year history.

Starting from the drive to the facility, Dodd said the design was focused on creating a professional yet inviting look.

But take a step inside and that’s where Dodd said the work he’s most pleased with is on display: a 60-by-160-foot atrium spanning three stories.

“It was an integral part of the design, and it really was kind of the hub of the building,” he said.

It’s peppered with collaborative seating spaces and is full of natural light from the walls of windows. The space connects to an adjacent staff chapel, dining area and conference rooms.

A shift from steel joists to a precast concrete model was made early on in the design phase, Dodd said. The delay in delivery of the steel joists would have set the project back a year, but he says the switch to concrete, in part, allowed the project to finish four months ahead of schedule and will boost the longevity of the building.

Dodd said care was taken to ensure durability in the finishes, like tile flooring and painted drywall partitions, while keeping the project on budget.

And, he says, the design team kept the nonprofit’s mission in mind at every step.

“Once everybody understood all the great things Convoy of Hope did,” Dodd said, “it made working on this project such a top priority for us and had such a special meaning for us – because of all the hope that it would give to the world when the building was finished.”