Chapel of the Apostles
Sewanee, Tenn.
Maurice Jennings + David McKee Architects

Light and geometry commingle in a remarkable chapel

© Richard Johnson

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The Chapel of the Apostles at the University of the South was completed for the School of Theology, serving not only as a place of worship for students, but also as a classroom where they practice rituals associated with the Episcopal church. The main level of the chapel consists of a narthex, sacristy, reconciliation chapel, restrooms, and nave. Movable seating was chosen to accommodate a variety of functions. An organ loft separates the narthex from the nave and design work on a traditional pipe organ for this area has begun.

The structural system consists of poured-in-place concrete for lower level walls, main floor beams, and slab. Main level walls are a combination of steel columns and bracing sheathed with two layers of plywood. Bents, made up of paired 2x10s sandwiched around a 2x8 for the lower chord and paired 2x12 with central 2x10 for the upper chord, are exposed throughout the interior space. Architectural metalwork, such as gussets and brackets, connect individual elements of the bents and cross-bracing between bents.

The chapel's generously glazed walls and large ridge skylights allow an ever-changing pattern of light and shadow to bathe the walls, floors, and structural bents. The geometric theme announced by the entry glass subdivision reappears in the metal entry door pulls, wood light fixtures, furnishings, and items used in worship services. This design approach emphasizes the relationship between the part and the whole; the correlation between the smallest and the largest components of a design allow a resonance that is perceptible yet sublime.

Formal name of Project:
Chapel of the Apostles

Location:
Sewanee, Tenn.

Owner:
University of the South

Architect:
Maurice Jennings + David McKee Architects
619 W Dickson
Fayetteville, AR 72701
501-443-4742
FAX 501-443-0637