Tallwoods Village
Awarded NSW Building Design of the Year 2022 and Excellence in the use of Glass by Design Matters. The Judges said, “What an inspiring place to celebrate life from the cradle to grave, and in between. Light, bright and absolutely beautiful, this innovative design uses glass to harness light and energy from its surroundings, giving joy from all perspectives. When a product is a hero, and it is almost intended not to be seen, it deserves credit and congratulations.”
The Passive Solar Design which is shaded in summer yet provides good solar access in winter minimises heating and cooling requirements of the chapel, whilst the large hydraulic windows and louvres maximise natural ventilation. Window frames and entry doors were sourced from sustainably certified forests and the recycled pews and pulpit were sourced from other churches. Natural ventilation and mechanical fans provide thermal comfort with air circulation and heating provided through passive solar and well insulated walls.
The owners of the Tallwoods Village Golf Course wanted to enhance the local community by providing a focal wedding chapel. Oriented on an East/West axis, the chapel displays a Porte Cochere, a bell tower, recycled pews and resin glass art by Alexandra Banks. Traditional Chapel Geometry fits a perfect circle in the hall with vertical proportions of glazing, referencing gothic chapels of light. Contemporary construction methods were used to create an elegbant hybrid portal frame design which combines a minimal steel arch to connect a lightweight and sustainable timber frame, infilled with lightweight construction. Large panel hydraulic doors created seamless transition between interior and exterior on a site situated between two lakes with sweeping views. The timber frame was designed with minimal tolerances from ply templates mirroring the glass art and to transfer wind-loads as well as the weight of the glass into a steel frame connected to the portal.
The owners envisaged a spacious and light interior, but a steel portal frame would be costly and cold. Timber would require exposed trusses or expensive timber work, filling in the space. So a timber and steel portal frame was developed, with standard sized hardwood timber and a rolled steel pipe tying the timber together. This created a rigid portal, but also served to highlight the geometry of the circle which generated the internal proportions.
A key component of the build was to integrate the work of their glass artist, Alexandra Banks. www.alexbanksartist.com. Alexandra Banks provided a resin cast glass art design for the East and West facades. A flowing and curving design representing ‘tying the knot’. The colours were specifically selected by the owners. The glass weighed in at approx. 60kg per square meter, so careful coordination with the structural engineer and the timber fabricator at Bago Joinery were required.
A standout feature is the hydraulic lifting doors at the rear of the hall. These doors pivot out like wings, and open the entire rear of the hall up to the adjacent exterior terraces on either side. The design is well suited to post-CoVID-19 habitation with superb natural cross ventilation, and opportunities for social distancing in a seamless inside/outside space.
The Chapel is a collaborative project starting with the Owners, Barry & Vivien Sale, Townplanner, Tony Fish from PDA Planning, Architect, Dustin Leaney of Innerchi Studios, Structural Engineer, Chris Venn-Brown, Builder, Wayne Munro of Waylyn Homes, Glass Artist Alexandra Banks, and many more tradespeople, suppliers and consultants. (apologies for not having space to name them all.)
Owners Barry & Vivien started this project with lofty ideals, big hearts, and bucket loads of community spirit. The Chapel of Light is a direct result of their enthusiasm, perserverance and trust in the process. Now the Chapel of Light sits peacefully in the landscape, awaiting to bless the next couple to come to tie the knot.