St. Croix Lutheran High School Chapel

Contractor

RJM Construction
Plymouth, Minnesota

Copper System: Flat seam wall cladding

The mission of St. Croix Lutheran High School is: "educating the total student - spiritually, intellectually, physically - in a caring Christian family community." The community felt strongly that these three elements are present in their lives, but that a physical symbol of the spiritual education was missing, a chapel.

Worship here includes celebration through song and the spoken word, making acoustics an important aspect of the design. Each window at the sidewalls is angled, as are the coffers above the space frame, to direct and control sound. To help absorb unnecessary reverberation, padding is placed behind the curved copper walls.

Copper was selected because of its symbolic representation of life. When first installed, it is bright and contains all the promises that life has to offer. At this early stage, it is easily influenced by exterior elements, reflecting the colors of the sky. Soon after its exposure to nature, the copper begins to mature. Over the next 20 years it changes to varying depths of brown and begins to patina. In future years, copper takes on a green and weathered appearance; a beautiful result earned from a productive and inspiring life.

Architectural Categories: Interiors, Flat Seam Roofs and Walls