The Chapel

The Chapel

The chapel is open to all faiths and thus serves as a place for everyone to reflect. 100 wooden planks create a semi-transparent curtain, a space to sit, pray, meditate, or talk. Upon entering, visitors are withdrawn for a moment from the grown nature and surrounded by a constructed nature.

The eccentrically placed roof, together with the tower and entrance, gives direction to the chapel and focus to the viewer. The roof opening, together with the thin rays of light penetrating through the slits of the vertical boards, create a fascinating play of light. The atmosphere in the interior changes constantly depending on the time of day and the weather. The stones serve as seats and as a reminder of the outdoors, of disordered, timeless nature.

All parts of the building are load bearing. Therefore, most of the components have two or more functions: the vertical, rough-sawn wooden boards are supporting columns and outer formwork, the gargoyles also carry the round roof, and the tower creates the door opening to enter the chapel.

All building materials come from the immediate vicinity. The gravel and stones are direct from the site, the planks from a local sawmill, the U-bars from a local blacksmith.

The chapel is designed as a temporary structure and will remain in place until the end of September 2022.

The chapel was designed and built by 'The Department' (Theo Deutinger, Pia Prantl, Christopher Clarkson).

We would like to thank everyone who was involved in the process and the execution of the chapel: Marlene Deutinger (volunteer), Andreas Zißler (volunteer), Tobias Mooslechner (landowner), Christoph Mooslechner (material transport), Oliver Schlierenzauer (technology), Holz Schnell (wood), Wilfried Hartl (woodworking), Sophie Netzer (candleholders)