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Chapel at Rio Roca Ranch / Maurice Jennings + Walter Jennings Architects

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Chapel at Rio Roca Ranch / Maurice Jennings + Walter Jennings Architects - BeamChapel at Rio Roca Ranch / Maurice Jennings + Walter Jennings Architects - Windows, Bench, Arch, Beam, ArcadeChapel at Rio Roca Ranch / Maurice Jennings + Walter Jennings Architects - Beam, ColumnChapel at Rio Roca Ranch / Maurice Jennings + Walter Jennings Architects - Lighting, Beam, Facade, Column, WindowsChapel at Rio Roca Ranch / Maurice Jennings + Walter Jennings Architects - More Images+ 27

  • Landscape Architect: Dan Sauerwein
  • Owner/Client: Rio Roca Ranch
  • Project Team: Lori Yazwinski Santa-Rita, Walter Jennings, David Pullium, Maurice Jennings
  • City: Graford
  • Country: United States
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Text description provided by the architects. The Rio Roca Chapel is a carefully articulated wooden structure which is coupled with opulent textures and set against an awe-inspiring landscape. Its lightweight wood structure is braced elegantly with tension bars and turnbuckles, providing support for the walls and copper roof. The chapel’s configuration is essentially an intricate weaving of steel and wood flitch systems with tongue and groove decking above.

Main Level Plan

Chapel at Rio Roca Ranch / Maurice Jennings + Walter Jennings Architects - More Images+ 27

The shift between plateau and river bluff is traversed by a stone retaining wall; through which visitors go through to enter the chapel, and after which the magnificent views of the Brazos River are exposed.

Chapel at Rio Roca Ranch / Maurice Jennings + Walter Jennings Architects - Image 17 of 32
© Walter Jennings
Details

The site’s axis runs east-west parallel along the river to capitalize on the landscape and view of School House Mountain, therefore the glazing present on corresponding exterior walls allows a relatively unobstructed view thorough the chapel. This transparent quality truly expresses the divine purpose of this building; the light filtered into the chapel primarily enters from above, and is playfully reflected and refracted throughout.

Chapel at Rio Roca Ranch / Maurice Jennings + Walter Jennings Architects - Bench, Beam
© Walter Jennings
Chapel at Rio Roca Ranch / Maurice Jennings + Walter Jennings Architects - Beam, Chair, Facade, Glass, Steel
© Walter Jennings
Chapel at Rio Roca Ranch / Maurice Jennings + Walter Jennings Architects - Windows
© Walter Jennings

The locale of the chapel, in a part of Texas dotted with oil and gas rigs, has determined the aesthetic quality of the detailing. While the forms of a well and this chapel are largely apart, the threaded connections, held in place by set screws, which allow for minor adjustment and tensioning are alike. The use of these connections, such as turnbuckles, also allows much of the wooden structure to be fabricated offsite.

Chapel at Rio Roca Ranch / Maurice Jennings + Walter Jennings Architects - Image 11 of 32
© Walter Jennings

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Project location

Address:Unnamed Road, Graford, TX 76449, United States

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
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Cite: "Chapel at Rio Roca Ranch / Maurice Jennings + Walter Jennings Architects" 29 Aug 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 5 Jan 2025. <https://www.archdaily.com/164003/chapel-at-rio-roca-ranch-maurice-jennings-walter-jennings-architects> ISSN 0719-8884
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