HOLY TRINITY CATHOLIC CHURCH WASHINGTON, DC

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PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

New additions provide needed meeting, outreach, choir, office, kitchen and fellowship spaces. The additions combine with existing buildings to form two related, but varied outdoor courtyards that serve as unifying spaces for the parish, capable of many uses.

The heart of the project is the Chapel of St. Ignatius Loyola. The complex renovation strengthens the integrity of the 205-year-old shell and returns the original church to a place of worship for 90 people. Flexible seating gathers the assembly in an intimate u-shaped plan around the altar in the spirit of Vatican II. A latter-day second floor of offices is removed to recapture the double height volume for the worship space and reveal the original timber roof trusses. The chapel’s simple, restrained detailing recalls the humble origins of the space.