Holy Rosary Catholic Church, St. Amant

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

Bringing the design into realization called upon the creativity of contractors and builders, particularly where common materials were used in extraordinary applications.

The master plan 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, framing 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. Designation of the travel path is marked by a remarkable "air-wing" canopy element made from a 2-in. concrete shell cast in fiberglass forms. The cantilevered and counterbalanced shell structure is supported by a simple integral beam system.

The oratory 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. The resulting void between oratory and 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. All six sides of the oratory cube are the same size, color and texture to create a lack of orientation and resulting in a sense of mystery. Forming for each of the 30-ft.-high walls is cantilevered and braced, making possible concrete wall surfaces free of tie holes.

This careful and deliberate challenge of one's sense of place continues through the rotation between exterior and interior spaces. Rotation of the chapel exterior is accompanied by a reciprocal rotation of the sacred chamber.

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.

Another of the design philosophies employed was to avoid the use of costly or rare materials. Instead, materials naturally abundant in the 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.