Dawn Chapel

Dawn Chapel Pediatric Center for Restorative Care Baylor University Medical Center Dallas, Texas Architecture: Health Environments Design, Dallas Eleven pairs of double-hung windows: 365 sq. ft. (34.0 sq. m.) The stained glass for this chapel strives to add a sense of refuge and hope for patients and their families. Although the client was Protestant, the chapel is intended for families of all faiths as an important element of the healing process. The victory of light/enlightenment over darkness/despair is the dominant universal theme symbolized by a night sky (sprinkled with stars of hope) in retreat from the glory of a new dawn in a more universally familiar duality.
With its east-facing orientation the stained glass design takes advantage of the dynamic variation of solar angles with a variety of color and experience especially appropriate for children. Because lower windows are recessed under a deep overhang in contrast with unshaded views from the upper windows, a receding night sky of etched blue on clear flashed glass is emphasized in the lower lever while the dawn is celebrated in the upper level with transparent color that project into the space.
The octagonal, pyramidal ceiling is potentially an exciting detail, but its visual definition is minimal due to soft, indirect lighting from below. Beveled dichroic strips placed on the horizontal mullions of the upper-level windows reflect and refract sunlight up onto the otherwise undifferentiated facets of the octagonal pyramid in the Chapel's ceiling.
As I developed the design, I realized that a scale study model was essential to ensure that circles and shapes that appeared normal in the flat rendering would remain so in three dimensions. As a result of the model, the strong circular arcs flowing from window to window and floor to ceiling are swung from an array of different center points so that they appear continuous and concentric in the actual space.
The stained glass panels are installed in front of the same exterior double-hung windows used throughout the facility. The hospital's architectural concept echoes the style of the restored Victorian homes that predominate in this historic neighborhood.