RELIGIOUS ARCHITECTURE/NEW FACILITIES
Honor Award
Lyle and Grace Prescott Memorial Prayer Chapel
Point Loma Nazarene University
San Diego, California
Architect
Carrier Johnson + CULTURE
San Diego, California
The Lyle and Grace Prescott Memorial Prayer Chapel design for Point Loma Nazarene University evolves from two inspirations: the chapel’s serene natural setting and the significance of the structure as a spiritual and academic anchor for the campus. Simple, pure lines and forms help embody the true essence of the chapel’s purpose. Equal importance is placed on the approach to the building as much as on the chapel form itself. The chapel offers a pair of open arms. The entry plays with scale, compressing, and then opening to enhance the connection and progression from exterior to interior. The chapel opens with a sense of arrival in the main sanctuary expressed in concrete, wood, and glass. Overhead, a light canopy of native timber and wicker hangs in the space, evoking the spirit’s lifting and, more subtly, Christ’s crown of thorns. Sunlight penetrating the tripartite windows illuminates the canopy and the cross in the nave.
Jury Comments
The Lyle and Grace Prescott Memorial Prayer Chapel is an excellent example of scale and use of materials. The chapel also creates a powerful presence on campus, and it provides a welcoming and prayerful space.
