Bill Chegwidden Named as a Fellow in the AIA

Bill Chegwidden, President and a founding principal of CDH Partners in Marietta, Georgia, was recently named to the College of Fellows (FAIA) in the American Institute of Architects.  He is an honor graduate from the University of Tennessee and Southern Polytechnic State University with graduate studies at the University of Manchester, UK through the Rotary International Fellowship. Mr. Chegwidden has been a practicing architect for more than 33 years and was nominated and named to the FAIA based upon his national leadership in the transformation of religious architectural design and his advocacy for strategic master planning and design. His influence has been reinforced through his writings and lectures. Less than 2 percent of all registered architects in the U.S. are named to the College of Fellows. He will receive this honor at the 2010 AIA Convention in Miami, Florida in June.

Mr. Chegwidden focuses his expertise on the long-range programming and design of religious facilities. He has been recognized on several occasions for excellence in design, energy conservation and for his writings on topics related to the planning, design and construction of churches. In 2005 his first book, The Next Step, was published as a strategic guide to help churches plan, design and build church facilities. CDH Partners is nationally recognized for religious architecture, having led over 500 churches through the process of planning, designing and developing their church campus. Established in 1977, CDH is an integrated design firm employing architects, engineers, interior designers, and planners to produce collaborative design solutions for high-performance sustainable buildings.

Some of the noteworthy religious projects attributable to Mr. Chegwidden and his firm include:

First United Methodist Church, Orlando, Florida
The Church of the Apostles, Atlanta, Georgia
New Covenant Bible Church, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church, Atlanta, Georgia
First Baptist Church, Gardendale, Alabama
Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church, Atlanta, Georgia
Horizon Community Church, Cincinnati, Ohio
Bible Center Church, Charleston, West Virginia
Mt. Paran Church, Atlanta, Georgia
The Gathering, Sevierville, Tennessee
Free Chapel Worship Center, Gainesville, Georgia
Broadmoor Baptist Church, Madison, Mississippi
Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Atlanta, Georgia
Perimeter Church, Duluth Georgia, Phase 2 and 3
First Baptist Church (Renovation), Jacksonville, Florida