Carmelite Monastery of Our Mother of Mercy & St Joseph Campus Plan Study
Alexandria, South Dakota
The Discalced Carmelite nuns of Alexandria, South Dakota, reside in a ranch-style building that last received an addition in 2001. The nuns asked us to design an addition including a new chapel and choir with the original windows of the former Carmelite church in Chicago (now the Shrine of Christ the King), a priest's residence, additional cells, and a guest suite, all according to the strict requirements of the nuns' enclosure. Additions to the broader site were to include a mausoleum and a cemetery.
Our additions create two courtyards that recall the cloisters of a traditional monastery. The design of the chapel strikes a balance between the small size of the congregation and the large size of the windows; its materiality matches the 1907 Catholic church across the street. Adjoining the chapel is the nuns' new choir, with a bell tower above.
