Capela Árvore da Vida
by: Cerejeira Fontes Architects - Imago Atelier de Arquitectura e Engenharia
in: Braga, Portugal
This hefty timber chapel located inside the existing Conciliar Seminary of Braga serves as a small space for mediation and worship for residents. Called the “Tree of Life Chapel”, we love the way the 20 tons of wood appears weightless, while still feeling like it would offer a warm, intimate embrace. The elevated platform and slatted enclosure pulls people up and inside to the central gathering space. It’s constructed without fasteners and stacked in a way for both natural light to enter and for a soft glow to radiate outwards. We sure hope its visitors have counted their blessings for such a stunning space, but given the user group, we’re guessing that’s probably not an issue.
Los Nogales School Chapel
by: Daniel Bonilla Arquitectos
in: Bogata, Columbia
Materiality and expression is something that comes up in school a lot. Generally haphazard at first, we soon learn the unforgettable Kahn quote:
“What do you want Brick?”
And Brick says to you: “I like an Arch.”
And if you say to Brick:”Look, arches are expensive, and I can use a concrete lentil over you. What do you think of that Brick?”
Brick says: “… I like an Arch”
We realize that there’s an importance to honoring what a material can do, and yet even fully understanding we continue to struggle. When projects like the Los Nogales School Chapel are completed, it serves as an example of honoring the nature of the material (concrete that forms a solid enclosure) and suggests the potential extreme ability they holds as well (massive wooden doors that swing open by only one person). Coupled with the importance of addressing urban design, the balance of urban morphology, building typology, and building use will shape the future of success in our profession. The thoughtfulness of a project like this coupled with the simple use of materials suggests an important period of design. Modernism and brutalism have paved the way for rough materials to express elegant form.
johnson chapel Often time places intended for quiet meditation and prayer are guilty of loud ornamentation and excessive design. These spaces easily (and like Gothic cathedrals, often intentionally) become a display of people, procession, and form in their own right. The Johnson Chapel at Trinity School aims to focus on “subtraction, refinement and integration”, where a simple material pallet coupled with daylight creates a dynamic space without over stimulation. Maple woodwork becomes a place for seating, storage, and sound. A low supply - high return mechanical system is integrated into the room, hiding grills under the riverbed rock and within the edges of the floating ceiling. The 1,000 square foot chapel is a beautiful display of clean lines and use of materials that embodies the intention of the program. The detailing is simple, but elegant, which is by no means simple to achieve in practice. The pictures alone instill a vibe of tranquility, one can only imagine how peaceful it is to actually be there.
by: butler rogers baskett architects
in: new york, new york
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