Studio: Design Theory 111

Magical Realism

This project explores the design of a non-denominational sacred space where the
extraordinary emerges quietly from the ordinary.
Inspired by the tectonic clarity of Fay Jones’ Thorncrown Chapel, the architecture is conceived not as an object of spectacle, but as a place where atmosphere, structure, and light gently blur the boundary between the real and the imagined.

The result is a chapel that feels timeless and familiar, yet gently altered—an architecture where belief is not prescribed, but allowed to emerge through sensory experience.

Project Specifications

Typology: Sacred Space

System: Timber Frame

Atmospheric Study

Magical Realism

Course / Year
ARCH A111 / 2013

Typology
Non-Denominational Chapel

System
Disciplined Timber Frame

Focus
Spatial Compression

The chapel’s design utilizes a disciplined, repetitive timber structure that establishes a clear longitudinal axis. As one moves through the space, the following elements work in tandem to create spatial compression:

Structural Rhythm

The rafters and vertical supports are arranged in a dense, rhythmic sequence. This repetition creates a “tunneling” effect, narrowing the perceived field of vision and framing the path ahead.

Volumetric Tapering

Drawing inspiration from the tectonic clarity of Thorncrown Chapel, the interior volume utilizes a sloped geometry to physically push the occupant’s focus toward the center.

Atmospheric Pressure

The use of screens and timber “ribs” filters the light, creating a darker, more compressed perimeter that ensures the focal point acts as the natural destination for the eye.

The entrance is intentionally compressed — low, narrow, and shadowed — creating a moment of tension as you approach. The roofline slopes downward and the structural frame tightens, lowering your field of view and drawing your body inward. It feels intimate, almost protective.

The Threshold

As you cross the threshold, the space releases.

The ceiling lifts dramatically along the sloped roof plane, opening upward toward the sky. Light filters in from above, washing the timber structure and exaggerating the verticality. What began as compression transforms into expansion — the interior opens toward the heavens.

Yet even within this vertical release, the geometry subtly guides you forward. The building’s form converges toward the central cross structure. The angled roof planes and triangulated framing pull your sightline directly to that intersection. The cross becomes both structural and symbolic — a spatial anchor.

The Choreography

Compression → Ascension → Convergence

The shape of the building choreographs this journey, tightening the body at entry, lifting the spirit inside, and ultimately drawing you into the cross at its core.

Project Inventory

Location
Conceptual / Studio

Software
Rhino, V-Ray, Adobe CC

Status
Completed Oct 2013

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Southern California — Available for select commissions.

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