The Heart of St. Edward’s University
Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel sits at the heart of St. Edward’s University, overlooking downtown Austin. The chapel was originally built in 1897 and has served as a theater, woodworking and blacksmith shop, bowling alley, and more. St. Edward’s desired an updated worship space, one that would draw students from their day-to-day business into a contemplative state-of-mind.
EEA was involved with the renovation of the chapel and the design and construction of the attached community room and ministry offices. The facility now provides the University with a modern ministry office, students with a revived place to worship, and a contemporary place to collaborate and study.
Don’t block the light!
To keep the chapel’s beautiful vaulted ceiling and new lantern unobstructed, the supply air distribution system is located underfloor. Air supply outlets are located in the floor along the perimeter of the chapel. A chief concern of the university was noise, so a combination of perforated double-wall ductwork and a duct silencer were used to mitigate noise transfer from the mechanical room to the nave. LED light fixtures coupled with an abundance of natural light from the windows and lantern give the chapel an organic and clean appearance.
