Sarah Osmond and Professors Peggy Honey & Mark Hamilton, Visual Arts
The temple is a widely recognized symbol of the LDS faith; however, more accessible to members and non-members around the world, in humble or elaborate form, is the basis of our weekly worship, the chapel. This research, completed as my senior project in Interior Design, analyzes the architectural and interior design of our chapels in three-parts.
Part one analyzes chapel-design theory. Questions were posed to Scott Bleake, church architect, about the importance of light, the significance of materials, and the evolution of LDS chapel design over time. Through this interview, and through the observation of several chapels, I determined the fundamental concerns in chapel design to be function and economics. As a proponent of geographically relevant architecture, I was also interested to discover a relationship between our chapels and the landscape and culture in which they are built. Essentially, I discovered no connection; our religion being a culture in itself.
Part two is a comparison of LDS and other religious architecture. This portion was narrowed in an extensive study of Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier, both of whom created significant religious structures.
Part three is the synthesis of parts one and two in hands-on application. Here I offer my own solution to chapel design, incorporating the essentials of the traditional chapel with the design philosophies of two masters, Wright and Le Corbusier. Part three includes a set of working drawings explaining the interior and exterior elevations of the chapel, as well as its floor plan, ceiling and lighting plans, and material assignments. A scale model, built of chip board, further explains the building’s exterior. Finally, 3-D computer models, built in MicroStation and ModelView, photo-realistically demonstrate the chapel’s interior.
Fig. 1 Chapel Front
Fig. 2 Chapel Rear
Fig. 3 Chapel Lobby
Fig. 4 Meditation Hall