This is an interfaith chapel for two hundred people, built on a prominent site reserved for it in the town plan. The church board asked only that the design serve all members of the community, that it have an element that could be seen from a distance, and that it be made of materials characteristic of the region. There was not common agreement on the use of natural light, so three designs were produced with varying degrees of light and views out to the beautiful natural setting.
The chapel is typically approached from the south on foot and from the east by car, so it is composed to be seen prominently from either direction. The project sits on the edge of two communities, serving both. There is a park extending to the south. A side garden has been created on the east, with a porch that leads to the cemetery. The land to the north is still forested with scrub pines.
The tall side walls are strengthened on the inside with masonry buttresses to take the wind loading of an unbraced multi-story wall. There are large shear walls in the corners of the structure. The entire interior is wood. The walls and ceiling are all white. The floors are salvaged sinker logs from north Florida rivers. The stained flooring material is carried onto the altar walls, in order to lead the eye there upon entering. The walls and roof are ornamented by hierarchy of exposed structural members whose sizes reflect the contributing areas of the structural loads.
