adoration chapel - 2019

This is a proposal for an addition to the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Los Osos, CA. The basis of the proposal began with the aim to find a solution that would integrate well into the existing physical site condition.

In view of the centrality of the site, the circular chapel is placed in the center of the parcel with a columbarium surrounding it. Visitors must walk through a garden between the columbarium and the chapel’s exterior wall to enter the main adoration space; this threshold sets them apart from their surroundings making the sky the only exterior element in contact with them.

Light enters the chapel through a thin sliver between the roof and the exterior wall to create a faint ring of light. A more intense light enters through an aperture in the center of the ceiling, highlighting the monstrance that serves as the centerpiece of the chapel.