Project Name: Ssese Island Chapel
Year: 1998
Description: Integrated Design Studio One (Undergrad) Project
Synopsis: The assignment was to design a chapel, sanctuary, or a meeting place for the people living amongst the Ssese Islands in Lake Victoria, Uganda. My approach was more towards a non-denominational chapel. I envisioned an open-air edifice that would include a number of unique terraces and verandas for people to converse, meditate, and gaze at the starry night sky. The tower at the center of the plan contains a stairway which ascends along a pentangular path and, thus, is appropriately named "Star-Case". The Hut at the northwest corner of the site is a destination point for those who want to explore the grounds and serves as a changing room for bathers. From the Chapel, it is well hidden amongst a dense patch of trees along the waters edge. The sculpture at the center of the site, entitled "Missing Piece", is modeled after a giant piece to a jigsaw puzzle - a clue that there is something to be discovered (the Hut) at the end of the journey. The journey from the Chapel to the Hut is based on the pilgrimage Jews would make in order to be baptized by John the Baptist.
