Scott Air Force Base Chapel, Scott Air Force Base, Ill.

Development Team
COMPREHENSIVE DESIGN: Stanley Consultants Inc., Muscatine, Iowa
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: K&S Associates Inc., St. Louis
ELECTRICAL: Pyramid Electrical Contractors Inc., Fairview Heights, Ill.
CHURCH FURNITURE: Grunder Church Furniture, Humboldt, Iowa
FURNITURE/PEWS/STAIN GLASS: Carol Krump Specialties, High Ridge, Mo.

The 1960s-era chapel at Scott Air Force Base in Southern Illinois presented a number of barriers to the exercise of faith.

Access to the H-shaped facility was a challenge

The chapel was located in the facility's south portion and oriented in an east-west direction, the chancel was on the west and the balcony and narthex on the east. A corridor was in the middle of the H, and administrative offices were on both sides of the corridor. The parking lot, located west of the building, forced people to enter at the front door of the chapel or walk through the narrow administrative corridor that entered the chapel in the middle.

Rotating the interior layout of the chapel improved access. The chancel was moved to the east where the narthex used to be, and the narthex and the entrance were moved to the west.

A newly constructed lobby has a vaulted ceiling in the center. It extends from the chapel to the fellowship hall. The rotation of the chapel and the new lobby provide traditional access into the facility.

Serving different faiths presented a challenge. It was important that the chapel be nonfaith specific, but it was also key the space could become faith specific.

A motorized track system displays one of four icons above the altar in an open circle, while the remaining icons are behind a wall. A push of a button converts the chapel from Catholic to Protestant by replacing the crucifix icon with a cross.

The chapel becomes faith generic by displaying one of two icons - a dove or stained glass window.

The jury said, "The team solved two categories of challenges - functional and physical. The functional challenges of creating multifaith space and the physical access problems were difficult. The team dealt with the challenges effectively."

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