Chapel for all faiths: A timber veil, shifting light and materials drawn from the site

Open to every faith and to anyone seeking a moment of quiet, this chapel is conceived less as a monument than as a shared pause. Inside, 100 wooden planks form a semi-transparent curtain that defines an intimate enclosure for sitting, praying, meditating, or simply talking. The transition is immediate: step through the threshold and the surrounding landscape seems to fall back for a moment, replaced by a carefully composed “constructed nature” made of timber, shadow, and air.

The chapel’s geometry is guided by an eccentrically placed roof paired with a tower and a clearly marked entrance. Together, these elements give direction to the space and concentrate the visitor’s attention. A roof opening draws light from above, while slender rays filter through the slits between vertical boards, producing a calm, shifting atmosphere that responds to the time of day and the weather, never quite repeating itself.

Scattered stones serve as seating, but also as a quiet reminder of what sits beyond the timber veil. Their weight and permanence introduce a sense of the sublime and the timeless, grounding the chapel’s delicacy in something geological and enduring.

Every part of the building is load-bearing, turning construction into a system of layered roles. Rough-sawn vertical boards work simultaneously as supporting elements and outer formwork. U-profile metal gargoyles carry the circular roof while asserting their own presence as functional ornaments. Even the tower is more than a landmark; it shapes the opening that invites visitors inside.

The chapel’s material palette is rooted in proximity. Gravel and stones come directly from the site, timber planks are supplied by a nearby sawmill, and the metal components are fabricated by a local blacksmith. The result is a small architecture that feels inseparable from its setting, an all-faith sanctuary shaped by light, craft, and the immediate landscape.

Project Credit

Name: The Chapel
Location: Flachau, Austria
Design Firm: The Department / @_the_department_
Completed Year: 2022
Photographer: Christopher Clarkson