Kate and Laurance Eustis Chapel
New Orleans, Louisiana
Eskew+Dumez+Ripple

A sacred space gently crafted for peaceful contemplation

© Timothy Hursley

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

This small chapel is designed to serve the contemplative and spiritual needs of Ochsner Hospital’s patients, families, and staff. The chapel is interdenominational, designed to allow for flexible, non-permanent placement of specific religious iconography, as well as personal artifacts and mementos.

The architect developed a design that introduces universal themes of healing and reconciliation to engage visitors with the spiritual. The use of wood implies tactile warmth, with a woven wood "shroud" creating a protective shelter over the main seating area. Water is introduced in a manner that alludes to its healing, life-giving properties. The subtle use of light, scale, proportion, and materials enhances the feeling of sacredness.

At the entry vestibule, a dark wood floor gradually moves up from the main hospital corridor into the chapel. Upon entering the main space, visitors are enveloped by the woven wood ceiling, and are immediately attuned to the calming sound of water and the hollow sound of a raised wood floor below. The space is designed to accommodate both private meditation and group services. Dappled light filters through the ceiling shroud overhead, created of over 5,000 pieces, adding to the overall ambient luminosity of the space. The highly polished wood furnishings reflect the room’s glow, and through their grand scale create spatial divisions as well as provide for seating and kneeling. Two adjacent rooms are available for more private meditation. Each of these spaces is wrapped in a warm wood wainscot and is positioned to focus on a unique window element for reflection.

Formal name of Project:
Kate and Laurance Eustis Chapel

Location:
New Orleans

Gross square footage:
1,000 sq. ft.

Total construction cost:
$230,000

Owner:
Ochsner Clinic Foundation

Architect:
Eskew+Dumez+Ripple
365 Canal Street, Suite 3150
New Orleans, LA 70130
t 504.561.8686
f 504.522.2253

From left: Bob Kleinpeter, Steve Dumez, Sebastian Salvado,
Charles Hite, Byron Mouton, Shannon Downey