US architecture studio Trahan Architects has completed a new religious facility at a university in New Orleans, Louisiana. The project, officially named the Chapel of St Ignatius and the Gayle and Tom Benson Jesuit Center, introduces a circular footprint to the campus. According to reports from Dezeen, the 4,620-square-foot (430-square-metre) structure was completed in 2025.
Trahan Architects, a firm with offices in New Orleans and New York, designed the chapel with a brick facade and a cross-laminated timber structure. The studio stated that the design integrates a "sense of mystery" into the university setting, leveraging its geometry and material palette to define the spiritual space. Because initial evidence regarding the project's broader architectural specifications remains limited, the exact sourcing and interior configurations have not yet been fully detailed.
The material calculus of mass timber and brick
The structural reliance on cross-laminated timber points to a continued adoption of mass timber in institutional architecture. Cross-laminated timber, an engineered wood product known for its structural rigidity and lower embodied carbon compared to traditional steel or concrete, has increasingly become a material of choice for specialized public and religious buildings. By pairing the timber interior with a traditional brick facade, the design bridges contemporary structural engineering with the established masonry vernacular often found in Gulf South university campuses.
While further details on the specific environmental metrics of the timber remain unverified in the initial reports, the material combination suggests a deliberate contrast between the heavy, protective exterior and the warmer, engineered wood interior. This dual-material approach serves both a structural and an aesthetic function, grounding the building in its immediate context while utilizing modern fabrication techniques.
Geometry and the curation of spiritual space
The decision to deploy a circular plan for the Chapel of St Ignatius departs from the traditional cruciform or rectangular layouts typical of many Jesuit centers. Circular religious architecture historically emphasizes a centralized, communal experience rather than a hierarchical procession. Trahan Architects noted that the design is intended to evoke a "sense of mystery," a conceptual goal that is often achieved in round structures through the manipulation of natural light and the absence of hard interior corners.
As universities continue to update their campus infrastructure, the integration of specialized, architecturally distinct spiritual centers remains a priority for institutions seeking to balance modern campus planning with traditional religious affiliations. The completion of the Gayle and Tom Benson Jesuit Center illustrates how contemporary architectural practices are navigating these institutional mandates through geometry and material selection.
How the university community will interact with the centralized, timber-framed space remains to be seen as the building enters its operational phase. The project stands as a notable addition to New Orleans' institutional architecture, reflecting ongoing shifts in how spiritual spaces are materialized on modern campuses.
With reporting from Dezeen.
Source · Dezeen
