Project Description

St. Xavier’s chapel is a small built space used for daily prayers by resident priests at the school. Canna Patel, an alumnus, HCPID provided their pro-bono professional services. The design team assumed a brief for ‘creating an appropriate ambiance for prayers’. Every design decision, material selection, aesthetic appeal or derivation of forms, aimed to achieve a sense of ‘calmness and austerity’. Clean and uncluttered lines and surfaces define the space, provided a subdued background where the focus is on the alter piece and a simple cross. The influences of Indian cultural on Catholic rituals are reflected in floor based sitting mats and the low altar. Lighting designs rendered softness to the space while allowing for reading from the bible and prayer books. By paying a close attention to appreciate the basic tenets of the Catholic faith, HCPID’s highly contemporary design of the chapel has created a spiritual sanctum that transcends being merely a ‘religious place’.