PROJECT: Holy Rosary Church Complex / St. Amant, Louisiana, U.S.A



AWARDS:

2005

National AIA | American Institute of Architects Honor Award
HOLY ROSARY CATHOLIC CHURCH COMPLEX

National AIA | Educational Facilities Design Award
HOLY ROSARY CATHOLIC CHURCH COMPLEX



2004

Fondazione Frate Sole | International Award For Sacred Architecture
2nd Place | HOLY ROSARY CATHOLIC CHURCH COMPLEX

Faith & Form | The Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art and Architecture (IFRAA)
Design Honor Award For Religious Architecture | New Facilities
HOLY ROSARY CATHOLIC CHURCH COMPLEX

Louisiana AIA | Honor Award of Excellence
HOLY ROSARY CATHOLIC CHURCH COMPLEX

Louisiana AIA | Baton Rouge | Rose Award for Design Excellence
HOLY ROSARY CATHOLIC CHURCH COMPLEX

McGraw-Hill Best of 2004 | Louisiana Contractor
HOLY ROSARY CATHOLIC CHURCH COMPLEX

American Concrete Institute | Louisiana Chapter
Award of Excellence
HOLY ROSARY CATHOLIC CHURCH COMPLEX



PROJECT ARCHITECT: Trahan Architects: Victor F. “Trey” Trahan III, AIA

DESIGN ARCHITECT: Trahan Architects: Victor F. “Trey” Trahan III, AIA

OTHER MEMBERS:
Structural Engineer: Schrenk & Peterson Consulting Engineers
Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing Engineer: Apex Engineering Corporation

BUILDER: Quality Design and Construction, Inc.

PHOTOGRAPHER: Tim Hursley / The Arkansas Office



BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Trahan Architects

An international award-winning architectural firm, Trahan Architects has built a reputation for excellent design. Victor F. “Trey” Trahan III, AIA, President and Principal-in-charge, remains personally involved in each project from start to finish.

The recipient of three National AIA Honor Awards in the U.S., the Award of Merit in the International Prize for Sacred Architecture, two international design competitions in Beijing, China and numerous state and regional design awards, Trahan Architects has been published internationally for its design.



Since 1992, Trahan Architects has approached projects by identifying early on the need to personalize each project specific to the client and the users, tending closely to details of programming, masterplanning, design development and technology implementation. This method accurately reflects the philosophy of individuality and creativity that the firm embodies.

Trahan Architects has also been recognized extensively for creative use of materials and the use of natural light in design.

In addition to ecclesiastical clients, Trahan Architects clients include financial and academic institutions, medical and industrial facilities, and state and local governments. Trahan Architects’ sports facility design Holy Rosary Churchm is one of the fastest growing sports architecture groups in the country, bringing high end design to collegiate athletic facilities.



PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Holy Rosary Catholic Church Complex

The Holy Rosary Chapel commission is an honest exploration of form, function, natural light and materials, providing an engaging and profound study in sacred space. The oratory is the focal point of its rural Roman Catholic campus, predominant by its unique placement and floating within the sacred precinct of a courtyard space.



The masterplan of the rural campus creates a strong sense of place for all functions of the Parish, drawing a distinction between the program’s sacred and secular components. Secular components of the campus take form as linear or “edge” buildings defining a courtyard where the oratory is located. Traversing the courtyard in a clockwise direction, the path leads ultimately to the oratory. In the opposite direction, the path leads always back to the community.



The oratory, like a crescendo in music, creates a deliberate break in the fabric of the campus. The resulting void space between the oratory and the secular pieces create an outdoor room appropriate for large communal gatherings, smaller gatherings or private meditation near the chapel.



Design of the oratory stems from the concept of identifying a pure, comfortable, sacred space every human has experienced – the womb. Since the womb has no orientation of up or down, all sides are treated equally, thus evoking a strong sense of mystery. All six sides of the oratory cube are the same size, color and texture to create this same lack of orientation and resulting in the same sense of mystery. This careful and deliberate challenge of one’s sense of place continues through the rotation between exterior and interior space.



The geometric basis for the parti of the oratory was derived from the Japanese four and a half Tatami rug configuration. This non-hierarchical system accommodates the numerous seating configurations for liturgical purposes.



To satisfy the human desire for definition, apertures were created to introduce natural light to the oratory interior. Light enters through a variety of openings carved from the wall thickness without revealing context or light source beyond. In addition to giving occupants a sense of orientation, the obscured presence of light is symbolic of the paschal mystery of Christ.



The transition into the oratory’s sacred space is also celebrated through an experience of light. A single threshold containing a sculptural cast-glass door has been designed to gather and refract light. Lens-shaped in plan, the door’s glass structure varies in dimension across its width, narrowest at its edge, 12 mm, and widest at its center, 75 mm. When approached, edges of the door appear to glow with the illumination from within.



Another of the design philosophies employed at Holy Rosary was to avoid the use of costly or rare materials. InsHoly Rosary Churchd, materials naturally abundant in this region were utilized, allowing the materials to become radiant and glorified through proper use. The palette of materials is limited to board-formed concrete, plate glass and cast glass.



Neither opulent nor austere, Holy Rosary Chapel presents a thoughtful meditation on sacred spaces and the spatial embodiment of spiritual experience.



HOLY ROSARY CATHOLIC CHURCH COMPLEX

Client Brief - Intended use of building, special needs / priorities, client profile

The client is a rural Catholic Parish in South Louisiana with strong French influence. There are three buildings in the first phase of the Holy Rosary Complex – an administration building housing the administrative functions of the parish; the religious education building; and the oratory, or chapel for the celebration of the rites. The oratory is intended for the daily use of small assemblies, less than 50 congregants. The parish desired a relationship between the oratory, the existing church and for there to be a place of prominence for this chapel in the new complex of buildings. The client also required the new complex to play an important role in the community life of the predominantly Catholic residents.



Considerations - budget, environment, heritage, council restrictions, site

Holy Rosary Parish originated in March 1905 and currently serves 2,273 families. The parish and its complex is primarily a rural environment. The site consists of 15 acres, is predominantly flat and has no restrictions.



Energy Efficient Design/Materials:

Administrative and educational structures are characterized by entire walls of floor to ceiling glazing. Situated on the north face, these glass walls offer generous lighting and uninterrupted view without requiring excessive energy use to control solar gain. Further protection is afforded by the wing-like canopies designed to protect circulation paths adjacent to the glass wall. Interior temperature of the oratory is regulated by the thermal mass of cast-in-place concrete walls, up to 7 feet thick in some areas.



Design Resolution - design concept, planning; implementation of client brief; the use of colour, lighting materials etc to reflect and/or enhance the concept; difficulties encountered & their resolution



The masterplan of the rural campus creates a strong sense of place for all functions of the Parish, drawing a distinction between the program's sacred and secular components. Secular functions of the campus take form as linear or "edge" buildings designed to define a courtyard, or sacred precinct, where the oratory is located. Concrete canopies parallel the linear edge buildings and serve as present-day interpretation of the relationship between conditioned and semi-conditioned space.



The oratory, like a crescendo in music, creates a deliberate break in the fabric of the campus. Position, formal purity and height reflect the importance of the spiritual program and serve to distinguish the chapel from its surroundings. Rotation of the chapel further underscores the distinct orientation of secular and sacred lives. The geometric basis for the parti of the oratory was derived from the Japanese four and a half Tatami rug configuration. This non-hierarchical system accommodates the numerous seating configurations for liturgical purposes.



To satisfy the human desire for definition, apertures were created to introduce natural light to the oratory interior. Light enters through a variety of openings carved from the wall thickness without revealing context or light source beyond. In addition to giving occupants a sense of orientation, the obscured presence of light is symbolic of the paschal mystery of Christ. More directly, each aperture is a meditation on a single episode of the paschal journey, metaphors for the passage of death, resurrection, ascension and eternal presence.



Construction – how particular factors influenced the choice of materials & construction methods, interesting solution etc.

Regular meetings were held with the congregations to inform them of Vatican II interpretation and the importance of using materials from the site to create a unique design. Vatican II documents called for materials that were appropriate and permanent. The parish mandated the use of materials that were appropriate and of low maintenance. Cast-in-place concrete was chosen to satisfy these requirements based on its physical performance and intrinsic beauty, reflecting nature in its depth and irregularity of finish and color.



Concrete also allowed the architects to create a visual relationship between the construction of the new oratory and the original church. The textured cypress lap siding of the existing church is echoed in the embossed patterns and wood textures of the board formed oratory exterior and interior surfaces. The secular use of the administrative and education buildings is distinguished through a contrasting smooth surface formed by conventional 4’ x 10’ high-density overlay boards. Composed of materials from the site, concrete color in both installations was unique to the region.



The transition into the oratory's sacred space is also celebrated through an experience of light. A single threshold containing a sculptural cast-glass door has been designed to gather and refract light. Lens-shaped in plan, the door's glass structure varies in dimension across its width, narrowest at its edge, 12 mm, and widest at its center, 75 mm. When approached, edges of the door appear to glow with the illumination from within.

Holy Rosary Church Building - text / images from Trahan Architects Jun08



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