Samuel J. Cladden Chapel - Clemson University. Architect: BOUDREAUX, Columbia, SC
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Partners for Sacred Spaces - Award for Religious Architecture, New Facilities
Recipient: Samuel J. Cadden Chapel – Clemson University
Architect: BOUDREAUX, Columbia, South Carolina
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It is a place for quiet meditation and reflection simply sitting in a pew or retreating to a more intimate location such as the prayer nooks situated at the rear of the main assembly space or down the open wood stair to one of the two private prayer and meditation rooms. Further respite can be sought in the garden at one of the benches or boulders situated along the meandering hillside path. The gardens are a place of memory honoring students who lost their lives while at Clemson. They are a canvas to which art and memorials will be added over time. The Samuel J. Cadden Chapel is intended as the place where students can gather in support of each other in times of tragedy and in times of celebration.
The feeling is monumental when you step inside the chapel and see the incredible views and natural materials surrounding you.
“The genesis of the project was the campus need for a gathering place of welcome,” says architect Heather Mitchell. “It was the students who came forward and voiced a real need for the Chapel. Students wanted a place of convergence where they could celebrate, mourn, and honor their experiences at University.”
BOUDREAUX, a South Carolina and North Carolina architecture firm has had a long-trusted relationship with Clemson University. The firm was lead architect for Douthit Hills Student Community, the Highway 93 Pedestrian Bridge, and they are currently renovating three high-rises on Clemson campus. The Chapel was a special jewel box project, a once in a lifetime design opportunity in the heart of campus. Blending two of the firm’s passions - working on higher education and faith-based projects, this was a great partnership. Mitchell serves as president of the firm and worked closely with University leadership to bring the Chapel to fruition. “The idea to marry all of our knowledge of student life, Clemson University and campus master planning with how you design a church was especially rewarding.”
“The idea of a chapel on Clemson’s campus has been a continuous thread throughout my entire 25-year career at Clemson,” says Barret Anderson, a landscape architect in Clemson’s Planning and Design Office. “It is a delight to see the chapel become a reality, and the timing couldn’t be better. Today’s students face many different pressures and demands. It is so important that students feel like they have a place they can go to separate from the rigorous demands of a typical day. In a setting where mental and physical development is a primary mission, the chapel acknowledges the fact that spiritual growth is an important aspect of a student’s total well-being.” Anderson continues.
On the daily path, the Chapel stands as an open invitation to step away from the rigors of college life for a time of quiet reflection.
As described on the Clemson University’s Samuel J. Cadden Chapel website, “More than 20 years ago, a small group gathered in Clemson to discuss the need for something they felt was missing from campus — a quiet place for meditation, introspection, or worship. A Clemson chapel. Many universities around the country have campus chapels. Cherished spots where private moments mean a lot, where memories can be made and revisited and shared with the next generation. That small group of community and campus volunteers decided that Clemson needed such a place, and they were determined to start the planning process. Thus began a 25-year journey.”
Students raised money through running races, concerts, and golf tournaments and passed their zeal from one class to the next. It was only fitting that the Chapel was ultimately named for a student that exemplified the spirit of the Chapel and tragically lost his life in an automobile accident after his sophomore year. His family gave the lead gift that put the years of student fundraising across the finish line.
His parents were instrumental not only in the fundraising, but the design as well. “The Cadden’s were a part of the design process from the beginning, even sitting in the selection committee for the architect. We were honored to work with such incredibly wonderful people in memory of Sam,” said Mitchell.
After multiple studies exploring potential locations, the Chapel was optimally sited at a central campus crossroads, an easily accessible and inviting location where a student can be both a part, yet separate. On the daily path, the Chapel stands as an open invitation to step away from the rigors of college life for a time of quiet reflection. “It is a gem on the green “spine,” a series of interconnected outdoor spaces that run north south through the center of the campus interrupted only by the library as its symbolic heart and now the Chapel,” said Mitchell.
Inexorably tied to the land, the chapel simultaneously rises from and sits within its hillside site. The main level features the assembly space along with intimate meditation nooks tucked in the rear to either side of the entry lobby. Once inside the Chapel, the natural materials in concert with large expanses of glass blur the line between inside and outside; this sense of transparency further enables visitors to feel as if they have entered a peaceful and quiet space, while still being in the center of campus. Clerestory windows let sunlight filter through the members of the wood structure, creating dynamic streams of natural light and shadows. The platform is constructed of white oak harvested from the site. The slate floor, brick piers and wood structure are all materials of the earth that convey a sense of warmth and comfort.
“The feeling is monumental when you step inside and see the incredible views and natural materials surrounding you. Then, you start to see the number of names memorialized on this building. From the entry hall to the pews and along the window sills you see the names of students who have lost their lives forever remembered in this very special way,” said BOUDREAUX Marketing Director Rachel John.
The lower level of the Chapel includes two private meditation rooms and an open gallery for events and gatherings that opens to a small plaza and its surrounding memorial gardens. The Samuel J. Cadden Chapel and gardens are designed as inviting places of refuge, introspection, and meditation and take advantage their sloping hillside site. A collaboration with University landscape architect, the gardens feature hand-selected boulders and materials familiar to the surrounding campus. Small nooks with benches along the garden path create places for visitors to pause to meditate, reflect, and enjoy the surrounding natural scenery while remembering students who have passed away during their time at Clemson.
The Samuel J. Cadden Chapel design integrates a geothermal heating and cooling system.
In support of Clemson University’s Sustainability Action Plan and the Clemson University Commission on Sustainability goal to make the University carbon neutral by the year 2030, the Samuel J. Cadden Chapel design integrates a geothermal heating and cooling system. The geothermal mechanical system relies on the earth’s constant temperature for heating and cooling. Ten 350 feet deep geothermal wells were drilled early in construction and are below the walkways and grassed area to the north of the main entry. They pump the condenser water through a closed loop system. The ground serves as a heat exchanger to cool or warm the water depending on the season. The loop then passes through the heat pumps in the building to allow the heat pumps to cool and heat the building efficiently. The system is highly efficient and reduces the reliance on fossil fuels. Additionally, the geothermal heat pumps eliminate the need for air cooled compressors and unsightly air-cooled condensing units are not required around the sacred building and landscape. Geothermal heat pump energy cost savings can reach 30-70 percent for heating and 20-50 percent for cooling, thereby reducing long term operating costs.
The project is being recognized at this summer’s AIA Conference for Award for Religious Architecture, New Facilities from Partners for Sacred Places. “We're very honored and blessed to be selected to be the architect for the project. Obviously, it's a very once in a lifetime special commission,” Mitchell explains. “We submitted the project to recognize Clemson’s incredible efforts to make this project a reality. We were beyond excited to hear that the Samuel J. Cadden Chapel won an international design award.”
The student body president at the time the Chapel was dedicated further shared: “The Samuel J. Cadden Chapel will serve as a transformative place for the Clemson community that will bring a sense of belonging, serenity and hope,” he says. “It will be an inclusive space that invites Tigers from all backgrounds to unite and support our Clemson Family…. We care about student wellness and the creation of spaces that promote comfort, privacy and growth. Finally, we care about loving and uplifting our community in a time that wants to pull us apart.”
