Children's Defense Fund, Clinton, TN, 2004

At the heart of the design is the abstracted image of a boat or ark that is constructed out of wood and forms the main body of the Chapel.  It is both a quiet reminder of the motto of the Children's Defense Fund, "Dear Lord be good to me/ The Sea is so wide/and my boat is so small" and a contextual design decision that allows for the introduction of  a modern boat like form into a setting that includes numerous historical log cabins.

The design is comprised of the wooden chapel, a concrete block administration building and a covered open-air terrace connecting the two structures. This outdoor area provides additional seating for the rare times during the year when a larger capacity is required, yet allows the design to maintain an intimate scale that is more in keeping with the surrounding historic cabins. The back of the chapel opens up completely to the terrace. Canvas pull down side walls were hidden in the trellis so that the terrace can be tented in times of inclement weather, creating an outdoor room for additional programming.