Elevate Studio Architecture Design began in 2006 as studio jv|a, an architectural design and consulting firm in Grand Rapids, MI. After 18 years of professional growth and achievement with a regional firm, and with a vision for a highly personal, hands-on approach to collaborative work and client participation, Jim VanderMolen founded the firm to specialize in the planning and design of spaces for spiritual and social community. Services include architectural and interior design and documentation, as well as consulting for pre-design programming and facility evaluation, master-planning, feasibility studies, and interactive consensus-building visioning workshops. The studio's work can be found throughout the Great Lakes region, the San Francisco Bay Area of California, NW Washington state, and through the American Mission Hospital in Bahrain.

In the spring of 2010, long-time colleague, co-designer, friend, and next-door neighbor Steve Fridsma joined Jim as a principal architect, and Elevate Studio Architecture Design was created. Jim and Steve share a creative history of nearly 20 years, including 12 years leading a regional firm's Worship Environments Studio. Jim, Steve, and a close-knit group of collaborators are committed to a client-centered, participatory design process and design solutions that are imaginative, inspiring, and appropriate in function, appearance, and cost. This team is committed to partnering with each unique client to design environments that testify to their values, reflect their vision, and further their mission.

Philosophy of Design

We believe that every person has a right to a healthy, safe and sustainable environment and that the quality of one’s surroundings directly influences quality of life. We do not believe that quality necessarily means higher cost; rather, we believe that quality reflects value – the wise and appropriate investment of scarce resources toward a higher purpose.

We believe in stewardship. For many projects, the cost of construction often represents sacrificial giving on the part of the owner. We take our role as keepers of your funds very seriously. We strive to be mindful of the cost implications of every idea we generate, and after careful consideration, promote ideas that are most appropriate to the project’s budget and character. As design progresses, we present alternative materials and systems along with recommendations regarding the most cost-effective, efficient, and durable solution. We provide increasingly detailed budget estimates at the end of each phase of design work, monitor the design’s adherence to the budget and, if necessary, modify the design to align with the budget while maintaining overall quality.

We believe in innovation, and promote creative uses of ordinary materials, avoiding redundant materials and finishes and contributing to a lower-cost project while enhancing design integrity, quality and durability. We delight in creating design solutions using off-the-shelf and common materials in inventive ways. These ordinary materials can be a rich design vocabulary when handled deftly. Even so, we consider both first cost and life-cycle cost information along with associated factors such as maintenance, sustainability and ease of replacement.

We believe that projects best embody the spirit and vision of the client when the design process is creative, interactive and fun. We employ several techniques to ensure broad participation from the staff and users in a context of teamwork and camaraderie. We will work with you to determine which of these activities best suit the programming process to discover and understand your mission, vision, and values. What results is buzz and momentum in the constituency, unity around core values and strategies, equipped ambassadors for the project, and fuel for the design team and leadership.

Congregational Workshop - Collage Exercise

This event brings a wide spectrum of the stakeholders together for a 3-hour creative session that uses collage-making to build bridges of communication between participants. Groups of 6 to 8 people combine pictures and words cut from worksheets to create collages that answer questions about your mission, vision, and values as they relate to the building project. The combination of pictures and words creates surprising insights that stimulate dialogue among and between groups and builds consensus toward project goals.

Programming

Master Planning

Feasibility Studies

Architectural Design

Interior Design

Consulting

Liturgical Furnishings and Art

Here's what others are saying about us:

"Steve's assignment for Church of the Servant was to craft a major addition to a distinctively styled building designed by an internationally known architect. His design creatively integrated with the original concept. For a community as aesthetically alert as this one, that is a very important factor. It's as functional as it is visually striking. And he brought the project in on time and on budget. Altogether worthy of the awards he has won." -

David Diephouse, Council President, Church of the Servant CRC, Kentwood, MI

"I just want you to know how thrilled we are with the space! You and your dedicated staff were such an inspiration to watch in action and to work with. The end product really has fulfilled everything on my wish list. Every inch is jam-packed with kid friendly fun and bursting with potential for learning, growing and developing kids in their relationship with Jesus. There is nowhere in our town with anything quite like the space you've created for us at Oak Park. You have done an outstanding job."

Gail Boatright, Children’s Pastor, Oak Park Christian Center, Pleasant Hill, CA

Over the past few decades, Christians have become increasingly aware of the impact modern life has on both the environment and the economy through resource usage, operating costs and pollution. This awareness has led to the concept of Creation Care, a principle of stewardship based on God’s command for humans to be caretakers of the earth (Genesis 2:15). As architects, we embrace our role as participants in this calling to inform our clients of the options available, guide them to an appropriate decision and apply principles of sustainable design wherever appropriate. We – along with our consultants – have achieved accreditation by the United Sates Green Building Council to consult on sustainability issues, and we bring that expertise to every project.

There are many sustainable strategies applicable to the design and construction of buildings. Some applications are simple and cost no more than the traditional alternatives, while others require a greater creative and financial commitment. Although it is possible to implement these strategies on a case-by-case basis, it is generally best to take a comprehensive approach, as the effectiveness of any given strategy often depends on others.

October 2019 - Elevate Studio was awarded the Unbuilt Project Award by AIA Grand Rapids for the American Mission Hospital Chapel located in A’ali, Bahrain, and owned by the Reformed Church in America (Consulting Architect: Aref Sadeq Design Consultants).

October 2018 - Elevate Studio was awarded the Small Commercial Project Award by AIA Grand Rapids for the Behavior Analyst of West Michigan building in Walker, MI.

September 2017 - Elevate Studio's Steve Fridsma leads one of ArtPrize's Top 5 Outstanding Venues

February 2016 - Elevate Studio featured in the Grand Rapids Business Journal

February 2016 - Elevate Studio work, the Mulder Chapel at Western Theological Seminary, used as an example to discuss the theology of worship space at Reformed Worship

November 2015 - Elevate Studio Presents at WFX Nashville

August 2014 - Interview with Church Designer Magazine