Design Alliance Architects raises curved concrete chapel in Missouri
Local studio Design Alliance Architects included stained-glass windows in a sculptural concrete chapel with eight massive curving walls in St. Louis, Missouri.
Known as the Chapel of the Risen Christ, the 8,554-square-foot (795-square-metre) building by Design Alliance Architects sits within Resurrection Cemetery and features landscape architecture by SWT Design.
Completed in 2025, the chapel comprises eight curved concrete walls that soar 50 feet (15 metres) above the ground and are both structural and symbolic of the resurrection of Christ, according to the studio.
"The curvature of the walls expands concentrically toward the nave, symbolizing the spreading of the Gospel," the studio told Dezeen. "Their deliberate fragmentation alludes to the broken body of Christ on the cross, a central tenet of Christian theology."
The design team selected the brutalist style to honor the solemnity and solitude of the site, while having the concrete into the sky to direct viewers' attention upwards, in line with the religious purpose.
Raw concrete allowed the exterior of the chapel to remain "pure", the team explained, to embody rest and permanence.
Inside, the space is shaped by the concrete ceiling, which arches from 9 feet above the ground to 30 feet (2.7 to 9 metres) over the altar, representing Christ's ascension.
"At this location, the ceiling ascends to its greatest height, emphasising the altar's prominence and creating a sense of vertical transcendence," the studio said. "From this central space, concentrical walls radiate outward, reinforcing the altar as the organising principle of the entire project."
A round skylight shines natural light down to the altar and along the curved walls, changing constantly throughout the day.
The elliptical space transitions from the narrow narthex, through the wider nave and back to a narrow altar with a gallery, pieta, tabernacle, storage and service spaces flanking the curved walls, where natural light streams through stained-glass windows.
"This gesture not only enhances the spiritual atmosphere but also allows a series of stained-glass windows to animate the interior with color and luminosity, reinforcing the chapel's role as both a sacred space and a vessel of light," the studio said.
The floor and altar are composed of exposed concrete, while acoustic plaster covers the side walls and technical systems.
Woods were integrated to provide warmth and contrast and to "balance austerity with a sense of human presence", according to Design Alliance Architects.
The design's combination of exposed concrete and stained glass is unique in St Louis.
"While the city has a handful of concrete buildings – often museums that emphasise straight, planar walls – it is unusual to encounter a brutalist structure here that employs curved, soaring walls as its defining gesture," the studio said.
"That sense of monumentality could easily feel austere, yet the introduction of stained glass transforms the experience, animating the surfaces with colour and light."
Other recently completed structural chapels include a tiny aluminium-clad chapel on a New Zealand hillside by Bull O'Sullivan Architecture, a tunnel-like concrete chapel in Indonesia by RAD+ar and a chapel made of stone pillars in Germany by Christoph Hesse Architects.
The exterior photography is by Roman Rojas and the interior photography is by Sam Fentress.
Project credits:
Architect: Design Alliance Architects
Landscape architect: SWT Design
Structural engineer: Larson Engineering
Contractor: BSI Constructors Inc.
Stained glass: Emil Frei & Associates
Liturgical design: Studio Totus
Lighting design: RBLD
Acoustic design: McClure Engineering
Mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineer: Solutions AEC, LLC
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