evapaulinesandan

2008420206

Project Data: Owner: Rincon Band of Luiseno Mission Indians Address: 2 Mazzetti Lane, Valley Center, California Chapel: 3,560 square feet Social Hall: 2,385 square feet Courtyard: 1,820 square feet Design Team: Church Committee: George Arviso, Juan Reed Patty Duro Rose Duro Georgiana Viveros Architect : Kevin deFreitas Architects, AIA Project Team : Kevin deFreitas & Manish Desai Structural Engineer : Envision Engineering Landscape Architect: LandLAB Inc. Mechanical Engineer: Stueven Engineering Plumbing & Electrical Engineer: BTA Engineers Contractor : Lusardi Construction Company Photography : Harrison Photographic

St. Bartholomews Chapel was destroyed by a wildfire that ravaged the Rincon Indian reservation in late 2007

Only the original adobe bell tower and original Mission bell survived, which would become the anchor element in the redesign planning

The needs of the current community changed significantly over the past 100 years

The fire presented a blank slate opportunity to expand and update the facility primarily by doubling the seating capacity and adding a standalone multipurpose social hall which created and framed a third space; an outdoor prayer garden. While respecting traditional customs, emulating or recreating the past literally was not a project goal. Design elements in plan, section, and elevation were conceived to reference and infuse meaning into the chapel.

The new design was conceived to reverently knit together past and comfortable traditions, while acknowledging and offering something relevant to current and future generations.

In an effort to reconnect with traditional Indian culture of living lighter on the land, the client specifically requested that the project thoughtfully incorporate a full complement of green materials, efficient technologies, and sustainable strategies into the redesign.

. Low tech passive features employed include; oversized roof overhangs, protected glazing, few west facing openings, clerestory windows and skylights for natural daylighting, and strategically placed operable windows to encourage cross ventilation.

Some of the high tech products include; a flush mounted thin film PV systems invisibly incorporated into the metal standing seam roof, high efficiency mechanical units, a computerized lighting control panel, high performance solar E glazing, and Icynene self expanding foam insulation dramatically improved the thermal comfort and energy efficiency of the project.

Native American as well as Catholic/Christian symbols and metaphors were referenced in every design element; plan, section, and elevation as a way to infuse meaning into the chapel on several layers.

The Chapel utilizes a significant amount of site harvested building materials; the signature element being the massive rammed earth walls that flank the sanctuary, each nearly 60 feet long, 18 feet tall, and 2 feet thick.

Symbolically important, these beautifully textured and organic walls are literally molded from 120 tons of sacred reservation soil.

Other earthy materials such as the 3 ton boulder that was crafted into the baptismal font and the 5 thick slabs of wood hewn from a Coastal Live Oak physically connect this congregation to the beauty of their natural surroundings, the significance of their ancestral home, and most importantly to the Spirit of their God in a very tangible and palpable way.

The end