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Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Class of 1959 Chapel, Harvard Business School
General material designation
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Subseries
Reference code
CA CAC 58-1-366
Edition area
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Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
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between 1984 and 1992 (Creation)
- Creator
- Safdie Architects
Physical description area
Physical description
photograph : colour
Publisher's series area
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Archival description area
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Scope and content
This nondenominational sacred and meditative building juxtaposes two very different spaces. A terraced garden rich in flowering trees offers a place for personal contemplation. Through its glazed, pyramidal roof visitors see the changing seasons of the campus outside. A 100-seat sanctuary contained by rounded, apselike concrete walls, rises to a height of 27 feet. For maximum flexibility this sanctuary room has no dominant axis; it frequently functions as a home for musical performances of varying sizes. Skylights flood the walls with light from above and large-scale prisms fixed in the skylights refract the sun's full spectrum. The exterior of the building is a cylindrical oxidized copper drum penetrated on the west by the garden space. A tower timepiece marks the entrance to the chapel.
Simple moves of form and orientation combine to create a unique place for contemplation and gathering in a busy campus setting. Skylights and prisms wash glowing patterns of light across the chapel walls throughout the course of the day.
Notes area
Physical condition
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Availability of other formats
Some digital images available.
Restrictions on access
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
© Safdie Architects. Explicit permission to use images is required. Contact the communications department at Safdie Architects (media@safdiearchitects.com) for more information.
Finding aids
Associated materials
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General note
Size: 362 sq m (3,900 sq ft)
General note
Cost: US $2.5 million
General note
Client: Harvard Business School
General note
Completion date: 1992
Alternative identifier(s)
Database ID
cac_class_of_1959_chapel_harvard_business_school
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Dates of creation, revision and deletion
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Script of description
Sources
Source: Safdie Architects hard drive