Collaboration with partner: Hannah Williams Contribution to project: Schematic design, Renderings, 3D modelling The Austin Bahá'í House of Worship is a religious center established to spread the message of religious tolerance and to serve as a bridge between the international Bahá'í community and the local community in Austin, Texas. The center contains three distinct programs: the temple, a primary school for local children, and a residential area to house refugees of religious persecution. The primary school is taught by a visiting scholar and refugees who serve as teachers and live in the units along the northern edge of the temple, adjacent to a residential area. The primary design aspect of the temple is the sweeping roof which covers the chapel, school, and the residences in a singular gesture. The roof swells up at the center of the complex while the floor plates of the second and third floors shift inwards to create a dome condition for the chapel. The exterior is wrapped in a wooden screen created with intersecting nonagons, as the number nine is a significant number in the Bahá'í faith.
Rendered West Elevation
Rendered West and North Elevations
Sections
Site Plan
Floor Plans
Roof Detail
Balcony Detail
Foundation Detail
