Lighthouse for the Dutchman
2012-2013
Location Lost Dutchman State Park, AZ, US
Typology Christian Chapel
Status Proposal
Size 400m²
The beautiful and special landscape of south-central Arizona, presents an experience for visitors unlike any other place. Dry, hot summers with a brief rainy season during mid-summer and late-winter, offers a unique planting palette inconsistent with most deserts around the world. Towering Saguaros, groves of man-sized chollas and prickly-pear cactus, dot the landscape amidst a rocky terrain. Located at the base of the Superstition Mountains—whose name derives from an old tale of a lost prospector whose gold treasure, as well as himself, have never been found—offers spectacular views of the massive mountain and valley floor below. The remoteness of the landscape offers a secluded environment perfect for contemplation and self-reflection.
Different from the universal spatial density of the hallway, the chapel space has a defined hierarchy over the altar. Looking toward the mountain peak, the altar clerestory contains a transparent window differing from the translucent channel glass used in the other volumes. Visitors then communicate with natural changes in the landscape through this window. The glazing above the chapel dome supported by a gridiron steel frame, has a series of operable roof hatches for natural ventilation and passive cooling. Wind passing in-between the raised clerestory volumes, increases wind velocity eliciting the Venturi effect.
Instead of a randomly defined edge on the exterior, the morphed structure is given a strict spatial limitation through the use of a simple boundary. In specifying the functional elements—walls for the chapel, raised clerestories, roof over the hallway, and so on—the structural homogeneity of the exterior boundary regulates the entire spatial variation. We wanted the structure to have a very clear orthogonal sense of both horizontality and verticality in its morphing operations, and experimented with how they coordinated the spatial complexity in strict and constant rules. As a result, the overall structure is acknowledged as an “inserted” entity into a box form, contrasting with typical and regional design custom.
The double-layered chapel space is surrounded by a continuous hallway at the perimeter which expands inward at each corner. A concavity in the middle area of each side, accommodates separate programmatic functions. Based on the distance from the entrance, this constant passage offers varying degrees of privacy. We believe this is a way to create a cognitive programmatic separation without the use of physical barriers.
