After a nearly two-year-long renovation, Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel was opened, blessed, and dedicated on October 21st, 2014. The project included the complete renovation of the Chapel, a new space for Campus Ministry and a new meditation garden. By using many local resources and planting native vegetation, this project has created a place for spiritual reflection and sustainability awareness. Here are some of the sustainable features and construction elements of the 117-year-old building at the heart of St. Edward’s University’s faith community:
In addition to a structural and architectural facelift, led by Elizabeth Alford and John Algood with Pollen Architecture & Design, an Austin-based firm, Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel also received a new altar, tabernacle, crucifix, baptismal font, ambry, lectern, and candle stands. All of these items have been hand-crafted by local artisans: Mark Macek, Rebecca Cantos-Busch, Kathleen Ash, and Hawkeye Glenn.
Mark Macek, of Austin-based Macek Furniture Company, led the creative process, commissioning of other artisans, and careful selection of wood. Rebecca Cantos-Busch, an Austin-based artist and sculptor carved the Christ corpus for the new crucifix, and the glass basin for the baptismal font was made by Kathleen Ash, who specializes in fused glass. New steel and bronze candle stands were made by local artisan Hawkeye Glenn.
The new altar, tabernacle, crucifix, baptismal font, ambry, and lectern are all crafted with lumber from trees on the St. Edward’s campus. These trees, previously damaged in a storm, were removed during the construction and renovation project. The wood finds its new home and purpose within the walls of the chapel as holy objects. In addition, four small crosses that indicate where the walls were blessed are made from pieces of the Sorin Oak that fell after a lightning storm years ago. The original wood floors were restored and the original pews were donated to an impoverished chapel in south Texas. The cabinetry throughout the chapel is the original custom cabinetry that was built on site during construction. These were saved and refurbished.
Outside the chapel is an environmentally-friendly water feature in the garden, where rainwater is captured in the flume and pours into the seep. This feature, as well as the rest of the exterior space, was designed by Christine Ten Eyck and Luke Mich of Ten Eyck Landscape Architects. The drops of water then splash and nourish the surrounding garden. When the irrigation system is on, water comes up through the seep and hydrates the surrounding bed. The landscape architect was able to add this important water feature while being sensitive to water conservation. Another important feature of the garden is the use of native plants. Landscaping with native plants means that they do not need fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, or watering, thus benefiting the environment tremendously. They also attract native species, such as butterflies and birds.