Featured New Construction Design Projects

ST. JOHN VIANNEY SEMINARY CHAPEL
& RESIDENCE ADDITION – St. Paul, mn

St. John Vianney Seminary contacted Studio io to partner with Finn Daniels at the beginning of a conceptual redesign of a new chapel and residence addition and lead the vision for the chapel design and the overall exterior appearance. On the campus of a Catholic university with a rich Beaux-Arts style context, this addition to the 1980s college seminary building re-establishes a traditional language consonant with its campus surroundings with a stacked chapel / residence addition that addresses existing challenges with prominence, visibility, entry, and the look of an important sacred building. The chapel seats 150 with an additional 35 seats in the choir loft. While the exterior reflects elements of other campus buildings including the larger and beloved main campus chapel, its interior incorporates themes of a strong, masculine spirituality into a gentler, more intimate and authentic encounter. Exterior mosaics of the Crucifixion above the apse and the Ascension over the main lobby entry provide an inspiring witness to the busy adjacent street and pedestrian thoroughfares. (w/ Finn Daniels Architects)

Dedicated April 20, 2023

“This team approach fills a tremendous need for those engaging in sacred architecture projects who want to reap the many benefits of working with a local architect of record but need to find a trustworthy, reliable, and respectful design consultant who knows Catholic tradition and can keep the integrity of a conceptual design’s intent, character, proportion, and scale as it moves through design development and ultimately construction. I have been impressed with Michael and his team as we have encountered obstacles but have come up with solutions that continue to make our project better. We have done this in a collaborative and prayerful way that will hopefully serve to deepen the faith of all involved in the process, and provide a transforming, sacramental encounter for generations of seminarians and formators when it is finally complete. Through the team’s Catholic faith, they have supported our project through constant prayer and discernment, and as a result, we have also had a lot of fun in the process.”

– Very Rev. Jonathan Kelly, Rector, St. John Vianney Seminary

ADDITIONAL MEDIA AND PRESS:

conceptual renderings & elevations