Notre Dame Church
and School


Owner: Diocese of Joliet
Location: Clarendon Hills

Square Footage: 41,300
Completion Date: Sept 2003


In looking to expand their campus, the Parish of Notre Dame wanted their buildings to reflect the warmth and intimacy shared by the community - which their previous campus of dispersed buildings and incoherent entries did not. The solution began by bringing the different components of the community - the Worship Space, School and Parish Center - together around a shared plaza. Serving as both a ceremonial drop-off and exterior room for celebration, all who enter campus share a moment here. The design continues with gathering spaces immediately inside each entry, providing space for those informal greetings and interactions that build a feeling of community. The Worship Space is the most literal embodiment of this idea as warm, natural materials and forms that gather and embrace create an environment of shared celebration.

 
©2003
SERENA STURM
ARCHITECTS, LTD
www.serenasturm.com