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 -

cam