SPIRITUALIZED

The first chapel is located on USC in the quiet, southwest corner of campus. The Serene Connection acts as a mediator between the surrounding neighborhood of USC and the staff and students within. Its design is inspired by previous precedent chimera studies of the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan. Working with light studies, the chapel experiments with lighting within the bed of surrounding trees. Recycled glass is also used as a mediator of privacy within the church to reflect on the beauty of something untraditional. The chapel overall invites all neighbors to enjoy peaceful serenity on the USC campus.

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The final church is located in the Harvard Heights area and questions if the church itself can become the sacred storybook. An Ode to Harvard Heights shines light on the beauty of the neighborhood as a place, community, and individual scale. The exterior facade challenges the previous form of fencing that one unwelcomed visitors. Stained glass windows were once used as an accessibility tool for visitors of the church who could not read. Today, the new stained glass windows can call to those in their cars, those walking, and those who are direct neighbors to the site. Based on the Biblical symbolism of colors, the vivid colors of the windows represent the growth, prosperity, and joy of the neighborhood. The stained glass windows are designed to be a canvas for illustrations of Harvard Heights starting from the beauty of the craftsman single family homes, then the beauty of the community, and finally the individuals who work hard to keep the neighborhood beautiful. The church gives visitors the chance to view their neighborhood as sacred through reflection and design.