View of apse from woods
Lost Pines Chapel, Bastrop, Texas
Built on the banks of Lake Bastrop this interfaith chapel forms a contemplative moment within the pine forest near Austin. The simplicity of the frame geometry plays off the rustic quality of the cedar members.
Each of the 22 frames is composed of members interconnected with steel plates. The identical frames, bundled together horizontally by two cables in tension, rotate incrementally to create an arcing in plan. Since the lower members are wider and become narrower toward the top, the upper members do not touch and are free to sway in the wind. The frame rotation's fluid quality, like the movement of water in the lake beyond, also implies mutability, a character that strengthens the building's form to its program, that of an interfaith chapel.
Owner: Boy Scouts Of America, Capitol Area Council
Size: 8,000 sf
Cost: $40,000.00
Design Team
Murray Legge, Herman Thun, Lucas Brown
Consultants
PE Structural Consultants, Murray Legge (photography)
Awards
2008 Texas Society of Architects, Design Excellence Award
2008 International Wood Design Awards – Honor Award
Frame elevation showing frame segment rotation
Plan detail and elevations
Detail showing cnc steel plate with tension cable guide
