University of North Florida Interfaith Chapel

University of North Florida Interfaith Chapel

Sweet Sparkman Architecture & Interiors as Architects

In December 2012 Sweet Sparkman Architects participated in the competition for the design of the University of North Florida's new Interfaith Chapel. The Interfaith Chapel design is intimately connected to its surroundings, rising from the bank of the lake, and mimicking the random and vertical pattern of the surrounding trees. The design is meant to take one on a journey of connectivity: to community, to nature, and to the universe.


Meant to make the lightest possible impact on the site, the Chapel is teetering on the interstitial space between the land and the water. Sensitive to its location, the angular characteristic of the building imitates the contour of the water’s edge. A long boardwalk cuts into the earth, providing a connection from the initial approach to the building and the water. The boardwalk explores the site’s topography, which drops approximately nine feet from the top of the bank to the water’s edge. This physical path illustrates a meditative journey: from the artificial and man-made world of our daily lives, through the beauty of nature, and to the elevation of the mind to spirituality.


As one approaches the building, a massive cast-in-place concrete wall serves as a threshold; this is a critical point in one’s journey to spirituality. The threshold to the building compresses the space and physically surrounds one with the earth element, while visually focusing the view to the water. By traversing into the earth we explore the tension between the ground, the water and the sky. The passage into the Chapel releases one from the previous tension and moves the individual towards the light and the water, functioning as a transitional space between light and dark. This visceral connection to the surrounding landscape allows nature to inform the character of the building. From the inside and outside, the building blends into the natural elements and erases all limits of the physical world.


By designing with the spiritual journey in mind, the reverence given to the sacred spaces will benefit the events contained within the Chapel. The space is designed to be non-directional and to allow flexibility for different functions. Worship, weddings, receptions, and chamber music recitals will have the visual backdrop of the lake and surrounding woods. By erasing the boundaries of the physical world, each new activity will have the added serenity that nature brings.

Products Behind Projects
Product Spotlight
News
Snøhetta designs new extension for the world’s oldest ski museum in Oslo
28 Mar 2024 News
Snøhetta designs new extension for the world’s oldest ski museum in Oslo

Global transdisciplinary architecture and design practice Snøhetta has designed a new entranc... More

10 public buildings that demonstrate architectural applications of precast concrete
27 Mar 2024 Specification
10 public buildings that demonstrate architectural applications of precast concrete

Precast concrete is made by casting concrete in a reusable mold. These molds are made of various mat... More

Sameep Padora and Associates creates a flowing, organic art center in southern India
26 Mar 2024 News
Sameep Padora & Associates creates a flowing, organic art center in southern India

Mumbai-based Sameep Padora & Associates (sP+a) has completed Hampi Art Labs in Toranagallu, a vi... More

Introducing Partner Thermory AS
26 Mar 2024 Partner News
Introducing Partner Thermory AS

Thermory AS offers a diverse product range that includes durable exterior cladding, decking, interio... More

Brooklyn Tower by ShOP Architects showcases a unique materiality
25 Mar 2024 News
Brooklyn Tower by ShOP Architects showcases a unique materiality

Brooklyn Tower, standing an impressive ninety-three stories tall with a unique neo-deco crown, is al... More

Doriana Fuksas, Martin Lesjak, Li Xiang and Steven Wright join Archello Awards 2024 jury
25 Mar 2024 Archello Awards
Doriana Fuksas, Martin Lesjak, Li Xiang and Steven Wright join Archello Awards 2024 jury

Doriana Fuksas, Martin Lesjak, Li Xiang and Steven Wright have been announced as Archello Awards 202... More

Vurpas Architectes converts former brick and concrete market into light-filled primary school in Lyon
22 Mar 2024 News
Vurpas Architectes converts former brick and concrete market into light-filled primary school in Lyon

The Eugénie Brazier school project in Lyon, France, undertaken by regional architecture studi... More

Detail: Pleated facade geometry of Bonfiglioli HQ by Peter Pichler Architecture
21 Mar 2024 Detail
Detail: Pleated facade geometry of Bonfiglioli HQ by Peter Pichler Architecture

Designed by Peter Pichler Architecture, the new Bonfiglioli Headquarters is located in Calderara di... More