Previous page Andersson-Wise Architects’ Booth Student Center and Temple Dining Hall round out a collection new buildings on the St. Stephen’s campus. Top to bottom Fehr & Granger’s Chapel is the heart of the campus and resonates in each of AWA’s buildings. The Residence Hall is built into the hillside and sited to take full advantage of the nearby trees.
(with the exception of AWA’s prefabricated buildings that house the art department). Despite this, the Dining Hall and Student Center successfully complement both their built and natural contexts. Fehr & Granger laid out the 370-acre campus in three distinct zones, working with the contours of the land and stands of trees growing along the grade. At the highest point, they placed the Chapel, surrounding it with the academic core. Just down the hill, they created the residential district, and where the land flattened out, they located athletic fields. Consecrated in 1953, the Chapel is the spiritual heart of St. Stephen’s, and arguably one of Fehr & Granger’s masterpieces. “They sited it perfectly,” said Andersson, referring to the north-south orientation that allows
While all of their interventions at St. Stephen’s … are undeniably striking, AWA went to great lengths to ensure that they remain background buildings, deferential to the surrounding landscape. the building to catch the breezes blowing across the hill throughout the year, even on unbearably hot summer days. To this day, the Chapel has no air conditioning. The Chapel is surrounded by live oaks, and AWA, like Fehr & Granger before them, designed their buildings to move around the trees. “Everyone is drawn to shade,” said Andersson. “The trees are an essential element of the experience of the campus.” AWA’s work preserves the extensive canopy network, allowing the trees to become the real focal point of the campus. While all of their interventions at St. Stephen’s — an addition to the Middle School, a new Upper School, the Art Building, a Residence Hall, and now the Dining Hall and Student Center — are undeniably striking,
88 Texas Architect
11/12 2013