Metaphysics Of Light
Steven Holl’s Chapel of St. Ignatius
The architectural concept is of greater importance than formal or textual expression, claims American Steven Holl(born 1947), a most surprising statement by an architect renowned for phenomenological specialities. The advantage of a strong concept should be the difficulty for any client to cut a project without loosing the whole idea. Some years ago Holl experienced the gain of this question in his realization of a small chapel on the campus of Seattle University using daylight and colour in a unique way.
The chapel was planned as a rectangular complex crowned by 7 skylights clad with zinc next to a solitary bell tower also in zinc and separated by a reflecting pond. The chapel is situated within existing north south pedestrian walks looking almost introvert with its strictly formed concrete facades. On a closer view the severity of the building is eased a bit by 21 façade elements cast in situ and puzzled into each other very delicately. Not to mention the main entrance door perforated by 7 deep holes like a Swiss cheese in the roughly treated wooden surface.
An ever returning characteristic issue for Holl’s architecture is never using the rectangle for its own sake but always contradicting the conventional form by letting minor rectangles get interwoven to make the rectangular facades. Even the brownish concrete surfaces are supporting the positions of window openings in the junctions of different façade elements.
From a Modernist point of view the Chapel of St. Ignatius could be described as an open box containing 7 bottles somewhat out of order while stretching upwards to catch the daylight. For Holl the concept was indeed 7 coloured bottles in box, but the motive is not experienced so evidently from the outside with only discrete facades, mounting fittings and integrated benches breaking the monotony.
While the quietness of he exterior feels almost self-effacing the vaulted ceilings inside are evidently referring to catacombs by an almost metaphysical lighting, the overall experience is being certainly unforgettable and unique. Access to the chapel is provided from the south along a well lit narthex or ante space following a minor rampart ending at an accentuated baptismal font. Behind the baptistery a gloomy, crypt-like chapel space is beginning, dominated by two cross vaults spanning from façade to façade.
The direction of the vaults makes he visitor turn his head to the right where the altar glows in yellow and bluish light, framed by the curved ceiling span. To the left a little space for praying appears to be pink coloured due to the daylight hitting the wax tinted walls, while the chapel of the holy sacraments at the right remains closed except on mayor events.
Understood from an ordinary spatial logic it remains a paradox that an oblong form not automatically contains an oblong church space with the altar at the far end. Such a convention is clearly overruled by Holl in a decisive and lucky way. While a relatively broad main space turning away from the direction of the access makes a more calm impression, like a search for rest of the soul. To this comes a greater intimacy stemming from the vaulted ceilings. The cave-like impression is strengthened by the small amount of daylight while the added side chapels are granted an individual life of their own by also receiving different colours of light from their skylight respectively.
The coloured bottles in the original scheme are used for accentuating where the ceilings reach their highest, each having its own characteristic shade. The differences in the light colours are obtained by breaking the incoming daylight with colours either in the glass it passes or on the reflecting sides of the skylight itself. In this way the ever shifting daylight is providing shifting moods in the interior.
For Holl the changing light symbolizes spiritual shifts between hope and despair. Or becomes a symbol on investigating things in different light where the individual uses the light of reason and faith to decide complex questions in the professional and personal life. An elementary and so transient way to create variation and a feeling of devotion is the genial merit of the architect. An experience of the holy sacrament’s chapel bathed in reddish light is close to metaphysics while the greenish choir, the western side of the audience part appears bluish and the altar section in yellow shaded light. To emphasize the textual effect to its outmost all inner surfaces are treated with comb-like stripes shifting direction between horizontal and vertical all the time. Together with vax remnants from the candles covering the walls in the prayer chapel all is supporting the spiritual experience in accordance with the saint selected Ignatius Loyola’s ambition to attract people in great numbers for reflection and prayer – via architectonic and acoustical quality.
For the University this chapel has become a real landmark and for the profane City a spiritual breathing hole in its midst.
Flemming Skude
FACTS:
The chapel was initiated in 1997. Size: 540 square metres. Cost withheld by the client.
