Kodet Architectural Group's Design
for St. Croix Lutheran High School Chapel
Wins National Award for Religious Art and Architecture

MINNEAPOLIS - Kodet Architectural Group, Ltd.'s design for the St. Croix Lutheran High School Chapel in West St. Paul, Minn., will be presented with a national Design Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects' Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art and Architecture (IFRAA).

On behalf of his company and client, architect Ed Kodet, FAIA, will accept the award on Oct. 27, 2006 at IFRAA's Fall 2006 Convention in La Jolla, Calif. Recognized in the category of New Facility, the St. Croix Lutheran High School Chapel also will be profiled in the Winter 2006 edition of Faith & Form magazine.

Kodet provided planning and design services to St. Croix Lutheran's leadership, helping to ensure that St. Croix Lutheran High School Chapel would serve the school's s tudent body for the next 25 years. An intimate setting for small groups and a communal space for up to 500, the 6,400-square-foot structure accommodates a variety of arrangements and meets the dynamic needs of its congregation. In addition to daily worship, the school uses the chapel for performances and music lessons, making acoustics an important aspect of the design.

Also important to the planning and design was the connection of light and space throughout the chapel. "The design gives meaning to the intangible qualities of light, and emphasizes passage through experience," explains Kodet. "There are two light scoops -- one at the entrance to the sanctuary and the other over the altar. The first announces one's arrival into a space of importance through a change in height as well as a progression of light, and the second naturally highlights the central altar platform."

IFRAA encourages an d supports excellence in the design of worship spaces and their accoutrements. Its annual awards program honors the best in architecture, sacred landscapes, liturgical design, and art for religious spaces.