Featured New Construction Design Projects
ST. JOHN VIANNEY SEMINARY CHAPEL
& RESIDENCE ADDITION – St. Paul, mn
On the campus of a Catholic university with a rich Beaux-Arts style context, this addition to the 1980s college seminary building will re-establish a traditional language with a stacked chapel / residence addition that addresses existing challenges with prominence, visibility, entry, and the look of an important sacred building. The chapel will seat 150 with an additional 35 seats in the choir loft. While the exterior reflects elements of other campus buildings including the larger main chapel, its interior incorporates themes of a strong, masculine spirituality into a gentler, more intimate encounter. Exterior mosaics of the Crucifixion above the apse and the Ascension over the main lobby entry provide an inspiring witness to the busy adjacent street and pedestrian thoroughfares. (w/ Finn Daniels Architects)
Dedicated April 20, 2023
“This team approach fills a tremendous need for those engaging in sacred architecture projects who want to reap the many benefits of working with a local architect of record but need to find a trustworthy, reliable, and respectful design consultant who knows Catholic tradition and can keep the integrity of a conceptual design’s intent, character, proportion, and scale as it moves through design development and ultimately construction. I have been impressed with Michael and his team as we have encountered obstacles but have come up with solutions that continue to make our project better. We have done this in a collaborative and prayerful way that will hopefully serve to deepen the faith of all involved in the process, and provide a transforming, sacramental encounter for generations of seminarians and formators when it is finally complete. Through the team’s Catholic faith, they have supported our project through constant prayer and discernment, and as a result, we have also had a lot of fun in the process.”
– Very Rev. Jonathan Kelly, Rector, St. John Vianney Seminary
ADDITIONAL MEDIA AND PRESS:
‘Better Things Are to Come:’ New Seminary Chapel Is a Sign of Hope for the Priesthood – National Catholic Register
Liturgical Arts Journal: New Chapel for St. John Vianney College Seminary with Works by ALBL Oberammergau
conceptual renderings & elevations
