Saint Mary’s Student Chapel

Client: St. Mary’s College High School
Location: Albany, CA
Size: 4,400 SF
Construction Cost: $8 million
Completion: 2018

Situated at the campus main entrance, the Chapel is a symbol of faith and refuge for the students and faculty of St. Mary's College High School.  It is nestled into a gently sloping hill and embraces the natural context around it.  The front gate leads visitors to an entry courtyard and along a walkway to the garden at the rear where the main entrance is located.  This procession allow visitors a gradual transition from the often hectic world to the tranquility of the chapel.  Along the entrance facade, indoor-outdoor boundaries are blurred, and the Chapel extends itself to the Garden and beyond.  Visual connections with the natural environment is at times framed by design, and at others generously open to the sky and surrounding greenery.  Deliberately placed windows and skylights draw in natural light that is gently diffused by a subdued palette of white concrete, stone and wood.  This light becomes a part of the architecture.  So much so that the building changes as the day passes.

So much of the project's success was owed to the President and his team for their tremendous investment in the project and unwavering love for the School and its students.  The realization of the St. Mary's Student Chapel was truly a collaborative effort between Owner and Architect.