Air Force Village Chapel: San Antonio, TX

COLAB was a finalist in a three-stage national design competition for a new multi-faith chapel for the Air Force Village community in San Antonio, Texas. For the design of the new chapel, our team quickly came to the conclusion that there is a need to unify the village with a centerpiece building. Our concept is based on making connections between the existing buildings and landscape using the new building as the community’s new center. The community spaces will be open-air and open-access, and will be used by members of the village on an everyday use basis. We see the building becoming a social and spiritual gathering place. The building is a group of simple forms unified by an architectural element signifying the gathering of ideas and beliefs, all welcoming and open. The connection to the natural elements of the site will mark the building and place as being grounded in its environment and community. The location of the center allows for greater community connections by tying into existing pedestrian paths and creating a visual axis to and across the lake. A new elevated pedestrian esplanade will connect the existing towers to the new center on the northeast side of the towers and provide views for pedestrians to the lake and beyond.