Here are some more pictures of the final project.

Final Chapel - Bruce

This is the final design I came up with. I would say the main influence in the design of the project was Tadao Ando and his projects The Benesse House, Chichu Museum, and Church if the Light.


The Main Chapel is pure concrete, which adds to a feeling of sacredness, purity, and simplicity to the chapel. Like Ando's works, I wanted to create a feeling of mass vs light, and heavy concrete with slender strips of daylighting coming into the chapel from the top really created this effect. As if light is coming from some divine space up above. The side walls also create the side roofs and focus the building to the center. The overall idea with the roofs was to have mix of simple to complex. Having pretty flat rectangular roofs along the center of the building, and have more interesting-complex roofs as one went east or west.



At the end of the chapel in the stage area, there is a beloved detail. There are three slender windows in diagonals that together make a triangle. This represents the Holy Trinity that is part of the congregation's belief. Each window represents one of the entities: The Father, The Son, and The Spirit, which together form one body in which the congregation puts its faith on. Since there is a line of trees behind the main chapel, perhaps some of the trees would be visible to the pastor or people on stage from these windows.




The office, storage, bathrooms are located to the east of the main chapel. Here the roof is derived from a Fehn-type system that allows light to enter. The ceiling would be at mid height of the vertical beams that extend over the spaces. This would allow for the beams to be seen from both inside and outside of the building. What I really like about this part of the chapel building is that it creates a space for reflection. As one steps outside of the chapel going to the office, there is this space with lines of natural light alternating with shadows from the beams. This creates a place for people to calm down, appreciate the trees to the east, and have a sense of privacy before meeting with the pastor or minister in his office.





On the other side of the door to the office is the Zen View. This is a window/door type opening. The opening is about 4 feet tall from the ground. This opening faces the ocean, so that is what it would be framing. From up close it would be hard for people to see the ocean, but from the main aisle or the other side of the main chapel, the idea is that people would be able to see the ocean. This is the only clearly open space that captures the ocean throughout the building. So what i had in mind was that people would be drawn to this window and as they got close to it, they would have to sit on the floor and then get the amazing view. For children, they would be able to walk through this opening, and perhaps that would make adults want to crawl or bend down to go through.




The lobby is at the front, closest to the suggested parking lot. This is also very Tadao Ando like, or at least i think so. There is an opening next to a 30 ft tall wall. The idea was to create this cave-like, maze-like, atmosphere where you want to go in it and see what is inside. Once inside you take a diagonal walk towards the main entrance. this was done to slow down the process of going to the main chapel, and also creates spaces for people to congregate. The solid roof allows for this dramatic opening as one heads towards the main chapel, which kind of adds to this revered and majestic feeling.



The side chapel shape was to complement the lobby shape. Together they from this triangular/mountain-like/wave-like form that converge down together at which the center is the 30 ft high main chapel. The side chapel was designed to have thin slender slit windows, which were inspired by the striations in many of Botta's designs and Alto's Finland convention center building. The spacing between the windows is each one foot more than the previous spacing going east. This was to add variation to the windows. The roof also went to a more complex form from the main chapel flat roof. The roof is a pinos type roof the hangs from the ceiling. I thought lowering the ceiling would add a cool effect as well as a lighting effect from the light coming in through the perimeter of the roof. There is also variation with the front walls of the side chapel. There is sort of additive thickness as one goes east. There is a baptistery fountain that resembles the beloved detail of the triangle that represents the Trinity.


Overall I like the progress that I've done with the chapel. I think that something i've learned from design this quarter is that it seems you're never really done, and there's always things to work on, even after a project is "done". It's not perfect, and there are things i feel i could change as i'm looking at it right now. It's been a fun project.

Chapel Project - Final Post

The chapel project presented many obstacles. My first concern was developing a successful floor plan that would lay a strong foundation for my models and meet all program requirements. My earlier floor plans used a lot of angles and non-square shapes. However, after many layers of trace and revisiting the program requirements, I felt that going back to simple square rooms was the answer. I am very pleased with my final floor plan, and I feel like the continuing lines and pure shapes make this a good layout for the chapel. Posted below is a picture of my final floor plan.

My next challenge was designing a roof system for the various rooms. I initially aimed at being very creative and made unique roofs for the chapel, side chapel, and office. However, the first critique made me realize that the complexity of the roofs detracted from the importance of the chapel roof. Also, they didn't seem to work together and complement each other. This made me think about what I wanted the roof system to accomplish. I wanted the main chapel roof to grab attention and the side chapel roof to complement the form of the main chapel roof without detracting attention from it. Posted below is a quick study model of an in progress design of my main chapel roof.

After many versions of the main chapel roof, I decided that it would benefit to be simple and to show integration between wall and roof. I liked the idea of a column system and aimed at finding a simple way to make columns an important part of the chapel design, while integrating them with the roof. I used six columns in the main chapel and mirrored them with six more in the lobby. They have a totem pole like feel and seem to work well with the tree line observed at the site. Posted below is a picture of my 1/2" section model that shows part of the column system in the main chapel.

Even though I ultimately deviated from my initial idea for the roof system, I feel like the process was valuable for my final design. The resulting roof system has a simple sloping roof for the main chapel that is complemented be a reverse slope for the side chapel. This allows the two roofs to complement each other, while still giving the most importance to the chapel. Also, the columns come through the roof of the chapel with openings for light around them to create a unique lighting effect. Posted below is a picture of my 1/4" final model for the chapel.

Overall, I found the chapel project very useful and it reinforced the importance of 3D modeling for design development. I like my final result and feel like it was a successful design. The use of curtain wall mixed with thick columns and heavy walls was integral to my project. I also like how the column systems mirror/complement each other. My idea is to have a rock garden east of the lobby, which would help draw people in and guide circulation. I hope everyone likes the final result of my work. Even though the laser cutter broke down, I like how the hand cut models turned out. It was great having you all in class, and I hope you have a great summer. Below is a picture of a 3D view of my revit model for the project.

Final Chapel + Progression from Mid-Review

My final chapel design and plan are I must say, very different from my original designs. Not only are they oriented in different directions, but they also have different roofs, walls, and circulation paths.

For example, here is a picture of my chapel from the mid review...And now...my final chapel:

While yes, they definitely look very different from each other, I realize that much of my final design is indeed rooted in the original. It is great to see how things such as my plan and rooflines that weren't working out as well as I would have liked, have evolved to function much more successfully and in a way that I am really happy about.

One of my biggest changes between the two designs was reorienting the direction of the chapel, which in effect changed the circulation of my plan. I also primarily drew my inspiration from Tadao Ando, but in the end, decided that it was Mario Botta that I really liked.

Despite these redesigns and shifts in inspiration, my primary goal remained the same, and that was to to create some sort of spiritual journey for visitors to the site. From an outer perspective, I wanted foremost, the chapel to stand out, but to do so in a way that complemented and worked in conjunction with the rest of the plan.

After realizing that I did not like the rectangular shape I had originally chosen for my chapel, I focused on using simple geometries of squares for the entirety of my plan. The largest square was that used for my chapel and then every other element of my program was either square or a variation of the square by cutting through its right angles to create areas defined by 45 degree angles instead.

Although these geometries were some of my guiding principles in designing, my ultimate guiding inspiration was Mario Botta and the way in which he often creates depths in ceilings by combining several panels in certain angles. I decided this is what I wanted to do for the roof design of my chapel so designed a fusion of several similar Botta works that I liked and then decided on something that carried this basic shape of implementing 5 panels of various widths on a downwards slope towards the ocean. Here is a photo of my mock-up study-model:

I really wanted the form of these panels to create depth within the chapel as well to provide a really interesting exterior look. To emphasize their strong shape, I first, decided to distinguish each panel from the other by building them in different materials. After deciding that my chapel walls would be built in concrete (or for our purposes, white matboard..), I chose to contrast this with a primarily wooden and glass roof.

To even further emphasize its shape, and inspired by some of Botta's designs, I chose to layer my two outer glass panels with wooden beams that matched the the roof's central wooden panel. I was really excited about the expressive lighting potential created by this shape and hoped that the beams would help to filter the light in interesting directions.

In conjunction with this roof shape, I designed an interior altarpiece that fit within the panels (as seen from the above photo) and then used this same shape to form a reflective pond I placed at the end of my long circulation route. In this way, I wanted to carry even the most expressive and dramatic aspects of my chapel itself into other elements of my design.

(back view of reflective pond & sculptural element)

In order to even further emphasize this strong roof shape as well as to ensure that my chapel itself was connected to the rest of my plan, I mirrored the symmetry of the outer panels in the way in which my side chapel and office mirror each other around the axis of this long corridor. Each of their roofs is then slanted outwards so as to mirror the angle of the chapel's roof panels.

Circulation wise, I again, wanted visitors to the site to have a specific journey. Upon entering the site, one first enters the colonnaded courtyard and has a view down the central colonnaded circulation path into the zen courtyard facing the trees. I really liked the fact that these courtyards mirrored each other, and yet, each would carry a completely different vibe and represent a distinct part of one's visit to the site. The colonnade was used as a way to draw people from one area to the other in a way that created a more interesting circulation experience. I also thought they were a nice vertical contrast of the slanted wooden roof beams.

From this entrance courtyard, one has three options: 1) enter the office area and bathrooms via the door on the right, 2) walk down the colonnade into the zen courtyard, or 3) enter the chapel through the large door on the left. Ideally, I would hope that visitors choose to enter the chapel and then reach the other areas only once they have first passed through it. My vision was that light shooting through the the glass panels on the chapel's western corner would serve as enticement to guide people under its roof and into its sacred space.

Then from the chapel, one exits through a door on the right into the side chapel. Upon visiting the Land's End site in San Francisco myself, I found that my favorite view was one that captured a view of both the the beautiful trees to the north and a sliver of the ocean to the west. Thus, from the very beginnings of the design process I have always wanted this view to be one preserved and made special through my design. Rather than incorporating this view into the chapel itself, I wanted it to be that it was only after leaving the chapel, and passing into the side chapel, that people were rewarded with a beautiful view. Thus, I sort of thought of this side chapel as the next part of one's journey through the site--an interior space for contemplating one's experiences in the chapel before entering the exterior zen courtyard. Here is a photograph from the direction of my intended zen view of both one side of the chapel and the side chapel with its zen vista on the left.

Exiting the side chapel, visitors enter into the zen courtyard at which there is no longer any view of the ocean. This is why, for my beloved detail, I decided to incorporate some sort of small water element to remind people of the water surrounding them even when they cannot see it. At the northern most tip of the courtyard closest to the trees, I designed, as I mentioned before, a small sculptural reflective pond that mirrors the shape of the chapel's altarpiece inserted into its corner. Again, I wanted this space to represent a different point of one's journey whilst reminding them of spaces they had already passed through. I thought this sort of mirror image in a different location of my site would help visitors realize the change in thinking and feeling they had experienced since visiting.

It is then from this courtyard that visitors can either enter the office and bathroom area, or exit the site all together via the colonnaded pathway.

I hope that whatever route they choose, the visitor leaves with a sense of spiritual satisfaction in having made some sort of journey throughout their visit to the site.

After the many manipulations I have made to my design over the past five weeks, I am ultimately very satisfied with my final chapel design. Although there have been some bumps along the road and many sleepless nights, I must say this whole process has been a really great experience for me. At the beginning of the quarter, I NEVER would have thought I could design, let alone build ANYTHING, and yet here I am, 10 weeks later, will a full on designed and built chapel! So thank you to my 7 fellow CEE130 troopers for your support and fun times in the studio and thank you so so much to Patti and Glenn for all of your countless hours of help and for making this one experience I will never forget!!!!

Final Chapel- Ari Wee

In the end, I'm pretty satisfied with my model and design. In this project, I've tried to create a serene and (I don't know if this is the term I want to use right now) sacred space. This was difficult, given everyone's background on sacred and special and peaceful is different. So, in designing this chapel, I did not incorporate direct metaphors or analogies or direct symbolism. So I tried to not make a direct link to 3s, 7s, 108s, etc. I just wanted to create a space that was peaceful.

I had a hard time with the ceiling of the chapel. By far, this was the most difficult to design. I tried light wells. Hanging ceilings. Sky lights. Beams. Many things. I finally decided on the triangles and glass because I felt that the playful beams of light against the simple stone wall aptly created a sense of peacefulness as the complexity of the light and the simplicity of the walls and building itself complemented each other.

If I had to change things, I would definitely change the status of the laser cutter. Doing the hand modeling first, I saved all laser cutting for last. Dumb move. Majorly dumb move. Finding out that that laser cutter was broken that night was one of the low points of that day since I resorted to handcutting the wooden lobby. This resorted in a more crag-ly, chip-ridden lobby when the lobby I had in mind was crisp and evenly cut. Also, the tiles of stone in the ceiling were intended to be made out of a thicker material cut by the laser cutter. However, I changed that to matboard to be able to cut it by hand. But, barring those, the project was overall a good experience.

I've attached pictures of the lighting. I made the mistake of saving the picture taking for last since it was difficult to get a picture of the lighting in the chapel.

Thanks for a great quarter.

Final Chapel Post- Sara

The chapel project has been extremely rewarding for me. Looking back on where I began, I have learned so much about the design process and can really appreciate the importance iteration and editing. One of my main goals for this assignment was to create a rich and spiritual experience for its visitors that encouraged inward reflection and thought as well as fostered a connection with the surrounding environment.

I set out to achieve this inward experience through the expressive lighting of my main chapel. As you can see from the photographs, the slit through the center of the roof points dramatically to the point of the triangle, focusing all attention on the minister. The congregation faces away from the ocean views, emphasizing this connection with the spiritual and turning away from the outside world. The wall behind the minister allows light in from behind in order to create a sacred effect

The side chapel, conversely, provides an outward experience for visitors. I envisioned the chapel as a place where people could go and reflect while connecting with the outside world. The beloved detail, a window that drops down from the slit in the roof and continues on the floor on the interior of the chapel (see photo) allows the view of the ocean into the chapel and is meant to inspire it inhabitants.

For the overall siting of my chapel, I put a lot of thought into how I wanted to really embed my chapel in the site. I decided that I wanted the tip of the triangle to really feel embedded in the land, and the chapel would rise up out of the land as you get closer to the ocean. Additionally, I sunk the office 3 feet into the site to maintain the ceiling height but ensure that the chapel was the main event. I also thought this would create a sense of ease and security for those seeking private counsel from the minister. Descending stairs would allow them to collect their thoughts and allow them to feel grounded.

I would say that my main themes of my design are

1) The triangular geometry of my buildings

Many of our visiting critics mentioned how the first thing that struck them about my project was its geometrical shape. Hierarchically, I wanted to en

sure the chapel would be the main focus. I did this through making it the largest building and designing an isosceles triangle. I also made sure that the roof was light and airy, while the roof of the office would be thicker and heavier. I also wanted the point of the triangle to be something that would interest people and draw visitors into the lobby. I kept the entrance of the lobby as a large glass wall to ensure visitors knew where to enter. The office, right triangle that is separated from the chapel and lobby, is a right triangle that is meant to emphasize the triangular shape of the chapel. Additionally, the Zen Vista, a triangular 'deck' platform that juts off the cliff, mirrors the triangular shape.

2) The slit that runs through the roof of the chapel. In the main chapel, the expressive lighting points directly and dramatically to

the minister. In the side chapel, the slit points out to the beautiful view and folds down onto the ground, creating my beloved detail. I was really inspired by Tadao Ando and how he treated light as a material in itself. The subtle slits that allow light to enter his room really inspired me when I was designing the chapel.

If I were to continue refining the project, I would put a lot of thought into the detailing of some of the walls. Particularly on the way to the zen vista, I think skeletal elements in the walls would enrich the overall journey.

Note-Unfortunately, by nature of my triangular design, it was difficult to photograph the lighting effect from the inside of the chapel.

Thank you to Glen, Patti and everyone in the class for such a wonderful and quarter!

final chapel post

I enjoyed the chapel project a lot because it gave me the opportunity to develop a design style. Creating the chapel helped me distill my broad, vaguely defined interest in architecture into a specific artistic approach – minimalism.

In designing the chapel, I wanted structural form to follow the building’s functions, so I began by looking at the program. Next I chose a guiding design principle that would be reflected in all my artistic decisions; I decided on threes. Later, Glenn suggested that the threes represent in a subtle, non-obvious way the holy trinity, and the reviewers from San Francisco mentioned that there were elements of both threes and fours, so I implemented the conceptual idea of the four elements into the design as well.

Louis Kahn’s entire body of work (particularly the Trenton Bath House), as well as selected works from Steven Holl, inspired my design. Kahn’s simple, pragmatic designs, straight lines, and symmetry punctuated by significant alterations are all artistic elements that I will continue to emulate in future designs. Holl’s simplicity and juxtaposition of water and light – most notably in his residential work – are additional design elements that inspired the chapel and that will continue to influence my work.

I based the chapel design on threes: I based the site on a three by three grid; doors are three feet wide; windows and the light element in the roof of the chapel ceiling are slits of three; the beloved detail, the beloved detail is three structural rods at door height emanating from the center of the lobby and continuing through the entire structure.

I employed mass & skeletal relationships as my primary design manipulation. The individual buildings of the chapel are all massive steel blocks connected by skeletal structures. I also employed repetition with variety and symmetry as design elements that would follow the function of the chapel. Each building began as a 15’ x 15’ room that I then altered according to its individual function (the zen vista, for example, became a small entry with a massive steel slab extending to the cliff edge). All buildings are the same height (10’) with the exception of the chapel, which at its highest rises to 30’.

Perhaps the best part of the chapel project is its holistic nature – each student is responsible for every aspect of the chapel, but can look to other architects and other students for inspiration (though I suppose this is true for any studio class).

Below are two images (from the west and east) of the light detail.

Congrats to errbody for finishing -

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