Views from the French Quarter

Over spring break, a group of us went to New Orleans for the Mardi Gras celebrations there. We were of course overwhelmed, but nonetheless each of us found New Orleans to be a charming and beautiful city. I am eager to return at a less hectic time, but until then, enjoy these views of the French Quarter, the historic heart of a historic city.

Cathedral of St. Louis, King of France

Café du Monde, a New Orleans institution

A Humble Suggestion for the Local Parish

OK, so it is a bit grandiose. The other day I was thinking about the parish church I currently attend here in Muncie. It is not the most inspiring church in the world, but it works very nicely for worship, etc. That being said, I let loose my design ideas and came up with a renovation that improves upon the sacred character of the space.

First of all, the altar and sanctuary are pushed back to the wall of the church. Presently, a rather small octagonal altar sits in the middle of the room and looks a bit like an island adrift in a sea of beige. Moving the altar to a more traditional spot along the back wall frees up the church arrangement so that the pews can be arranged in orderly, rectilinear rows. This simple movement adds directionality to the worship in the space, contributing to the theology of the Church and her worship as a movement toward God.

Secondly, the tabernacle is moved from its current placement in a chapel off the narthex to the center of the church, immediately behind the altar. The altar represents the meeting point of heaven and earth during the mass, while the tabernacle is the new "tent of meeting" for when mass is not occurring. It is natural to place these two objects together, yet this is often not the case. A cloth covering the tabernacle is changed according to the color of the liturgical season.

Thirdly, a backdrop, or reredos is shown behind the sanctuary. At the center, of course, is the tabernacle,  flanked by the traditional six candlesticks. An image of the dove, a symbol of the Holy Spirit, is shown behind the tabernacle, indicative of God's constant presence in the church. Off to each side is a niche and a statue; the Virgin Mary is on the left, while St. Francis (patron of the parish) is on the left. The inclusion of these figures reminds us that our worship is intimately connected with the worship of the saints in heaven. Above the tabernacle is a Latin inscription which says Ecce Panis Angelorum which means Behold the bread of angels.

St. Francis is blessed with a large wooden crucifix that is not shown in the design. It would continue to hang in its current position which would place it above the altar. Christ's sacrifice is the center of the mass and would remain as such.

This exercise was simply to see how a bit of traditional architectural intervention can improve even the blandest of 1970s churches. As stated before, there is nothing horrible about the church now, but we can always dream, can't we?

The picture, as ever, can be clicked to view larger.

Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you

On this day in the Roman Catholic calendar, we commemorate the episode called the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she had been chosen to bear God's Son. This is one of my very favorite stories of the Bible because it brings all of God's plan together in a summary. The entirety of our salvation through the Church established by Christ hinged on Mary's obedience to the Lord's will.

Gabriel greets Mary
Gabriel, a messenger from God, visits Mary and declares her goodness with the words "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you." From this we can understand that God is searching for us, he is seeking reunion with his children and comes to us in a variety of ways; for Mary it was through the words of an angel, for us it is through Christ, the living Word of God. The angel's greeting also stands as the ends of the Christian faith - to be full of grace in the presence of the Lord. Catholic dogma affirms Mary's lifelong sinlessness as a special grace conferred on her by the power of God. The result of this grace is that Mary is the highest example of purely human Christian life. She was full of grace her entire life, and literally was with the Lord when he was on earth. However, we can imitate her virtues and her care for her Son as we strive to live virtuously and tend to our relationship with Jesus. God is seeking us, and we seek the ultimate union with Him.

Mary's doubt
The story continues as Luke records, "But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be." Mary was troubled by Gabriel's greeting. So often we are troubled and astounded by the ways God speaks to us. Other times we hear him, but are worried about his demands.

Gabriel announces God's plan to Mary
Gabriel reassures Mary saying, "Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus." Here is the real crux of the entire story - the entire story from Genesis to Revelation. God, who has affirmed the goodness and potential of humanity through the words of Gabriel, announces his plan for the salvation of humanity by a lowly Galilean virgin. The eternal Word has become finite Flesh who will "be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." All of this, God, the highest, the King of all, will be born into a suffering world by a lowly girl. This mystery of the Incarnation, of God taking flesh, is the one most central to all of Christianity. That God is willing to become a mortal and humble himself showcases the love he has for creation and his desire to reunite us to himself.

Mary's reply
Mary, after understanding what was to become of her replied to Gabriel, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." Mary, understanding her role in the plan of God's salvation, agrees to Gabriel's message. This was not a case of what would Jesus do, this was a case of the much more important question what would God have me do. Mary was not motivated by her selfish plans for her own life, but rather she was prompted by grace to enjoin her actions to the plan that God had for her - another instance of the humility that all are called to.

Summary
So, from this two paragraph story of the Annunciation, a scant twelve verses of the Gospel of St. Luke, we have discovered the over-arching themes of God's plan for us. 1. We are called to be holy and to become 'full of grace.' 2. We cannot do this alone, and we have doubts. 3. God has sent himself to us to reunite us through his life, death and resurrection. 4. We are called to answer the call of God with joy and to align ourselves with the plan of grace that he has for each of our lives. This in effect means having a life of prayer and an understanding of the discipline needed to follow Christ so that we can answer that call effectively.

A summary of this summary can be found in the Angelus prayer which was traditionally prayed in the morning, at noon, and during the evening. It is said by the Pope and those gathered at St. Peter's Square at noon. It recounts the mystery of the angel Gabriel's visit to Mary and the subsequent conception of the Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit. The text of the Angelus is below, along with a video of the prayer being chanted in Latin.



Latin Version

V. Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariæ.
R. Et concepit de Spiritu Sancto.

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostræ. Amen.

V. Ecce Ancilla Domini.
R. Fiat mihi secundum Verbum tuum.

Ave Maria...

V. Et Verbum caro factum est.
R. Et habitavit in nobis.

Ave Maria...

V. Ora pro nobis, Sancta Dei Genetrix.
R. Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.

Oremus: Gratiam tuam quæsumus, Domine,
mentibus nostris infunde;
ut qui, angelo nuntiante,
Christi Filii tui Incarnationem cognovimus,
per passionem eius et crucem,
ad resurrectionis gloriam perducamur.

Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

English Version

V. The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. And she conceived by the power of Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done unto me according to your Word.

Hail Mary...

V. And the Word was made flesh.
R. And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary...

V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, Your grace into our hearts, that we to whom the incarnation of Christ Thy son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His resurrection; through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

This monumental event which is so central to our salvation is celebrated as a Solemnity, so that the ordinary directive against eating meat is lifted whenever this feast falls on a Lenten Friday. So, enjoy a steak today for Jesus, guilt-free!

Forty Days and Forty Nights

We are currently in the midst of the season of Lent, a time marked by austerity and penance in the Catholic Church. The forty days leading up to Easter is a time to reflect on the state of our spiritual lives and get everything in order before the joy of the resurrection. Traditionally, this reflection has been marked by an increased observance of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

Prayer, our ongoing heart-to-heart with God, helps us order our lives around the precepts of a God who loves us. Through prayer, we are able to hear the quiet voice of our creator who prompts us to recommit ourselves to living out his love to the world. Fasting and abstinence from meat helps tame our earthly and bodily desires and gives a certain sharpness and penitence to our prayers. We are sinners, and through the suffering of fasting and the traditional practice of giving something up, we are able to better understand the profound blessings God gives to us each day. Almsgiving, a constant vocation of the Christian, is emphasized in a special way during Lent. We are our brothers and sisters keepers and we are called to love them in Christian charity, which God in the person of Jesus shows us perfectly.

Recommitting to God with prayer, fasting, and almsgiving can be difficult. Indeed, it is often difficult. We are so often pressured by the goings-on of daily life that God can often seem to be a remote item at the bottom of a to-do list. Lent reminds us of what should come first in our lives - the joyful simplicity of being children of the Lord. How often do we say that God should come first in our lives and then we ignore him with every decision we make? Paying lip-service to Christ is not the same as being a Christian. I'm surely not saying it's easy, and I'm certainly not saying I'm remotely innocent, but that's what Lent's all about: putting God first in deed, not just in word. As the famed author G.K. Chesterton said: "The Christian ideal has not been tried and left wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried."

Lent is a time to try for the Christian ideal. Try to grow in holiness. Try to pray, fast, and give more. Nobody said it was easy, but that's where God comes in. With our trust in him, we can be assured of his grace to help us try, and then try harder.

Like the Israelites' time in the desert, and Noah's time on the ark (which are both related to the number forty), God provided for his people. In our desert of sin, God provides us with the life-giving waters of baptism, the guiding light of confession, the manna of the Eucharist, and the road map of the Gospel. It is up to us to take God up on his offer.

Facade for the Previously Described House

This is the facade design that I've come up with for the compact urban house I described in the previous post. This exterior may seem pretty simple, and it is meant to be, in keeping with the elegant theme of the home. The Italianate homes prevalent in the Midwest (and indeed all of America) during the latter half of the Nineteenth Century provided the main precedent for the exterior design. Classic red brick is the main material, paired with a stone raised basement and quoins (the technical architect-y term for those large blocks of stone at the corners of the building). Large windows flood the interior with daylight. Cast-iron balconies hold flower boxes, allowing a natural element to inhabit the outside of the house. All in all, this house attempts to restore American residential architecture to a nobler age, far removed from the suburban blandness we currently find ourselves mired in.

A Compact, Urban Home

This is a little piece of work that I did over spring break for a home set on a theoretical 50'x100' urban corner lot. Inspiration was drawn from the townhouses of New Orleans and Charleston's ubiquitous 'single houses.' The home is compact - only 32' wide and about 50' long, yet it packs in 5 bedrooms, 5 baths, and plenty of living space. In order to achieve these statistics, the house is three stories tall with a finished basement.

The first floor contains a formal living room and dining room, separated from the other spaces by French doors. A small stair hall and mud room provide a path from the front of the house to the garden. A pantry and bathroom sit between the entry and the dining room. A large kitchen with a generous island lies in the rear of the house, with two sets of French doors opening into the garden. A small sitting room off the kitchen completes the ground floor.

The second floor is more private and familial in nature, contrasted with the first floor's focus on gathering and entertainment possibilities. From the main stairway landing, the master suite and family room can be accessed. A window-lined corridor links the family room with a small library/office in the back of the home. A second set of stairs leads up from the family room to the third floor.

Finally, the third floor is given over to four bedrooms and a 'duplex' bathroom with two of each fixture to accommodate the needs of the residents. The stairs empty into a landing area that has a long, built-in desk for workspace. A hallway links this landing space with a light-filled playroom at the end of the house. The bedrooms are deliberately kept small to encourage use of these other, more sociable spaces.

The basement features a family room with a bar and pool table as well as storage. A sixth bedroom, perhaps for guests, is possible in the basement. The first floor is set approximately four feet off the ground, allowing for as much light as possible to penetrate the lower level.

This house was designed on the principle of time zones. That is, each floor or area corresponds with a certain time of use. The lower level, for instance, would have highest use around mealtimes or social gatherings, where people can then spill out onto the terrace. After dinner, the occupants could retreat to the second floor family room to watch TV, and then on to the third floor or master suite for bed. Furthermore, each floor can be seen as a self-contained unit. The third floor especially is designed for the way children live and interact. Each person has his or her private bedroom, but there is ample space outside the bedrooms for hanging out with others, working on homework, or watching TV.

I am quite pleased with this design, though it actually evolved from an earlier work I did. Any suggestions to further the progress would be welcomed. As always, click the photo to enlarge.

Studio Lately

You may recall from my last post my complaints about a heavy studio workload. We were tasked with designing a small (1500 sf.) pavilion for canoe renting that would sit in a park in Yorktown, Indiana - a town which borders Muncie. The site is parkland which is positioned at the confluence of the White River and a smaller creek.

Programmatic requirements included a large canoe garage, office space, storage, lockers, and a multipurpose space which could be put to use for informative multimedia and/or retail. Prefabrication and response to environmental systems were also emphasized in the design problem.

My solution was a long, narrow layout encapsulated in a concrete shell that wraps around and forms the floor, ceiling, and east wall. The plan is organized on a 12'x30' module so that the concrete (and the steel that supports it) can be produced efficiently. Between the structural steel columns are aluminum and glass window panels with operable windows that facilitate cross-ventilation. Wooden louvers are affixed to the exterior of the steel columns and are used to help shade the windows from the southern sun.

In all, I am quite pleased with the result (considering it was only a 2-week project). Renderings and other images can be found below.

Final Board Layout

View toward the northwest from the interior

View from the northwest

View from the southwest, with the park and trees in the background