A New Classical
Monastery
A New
Mount Carmel
The design for the Monastery of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Joseph is informed by the discalced Carmelite tradition, taking particular cues from Spanish cloisters in Avila and Toledo. It is sited on 13 acres at the crest of a hill overlooking the rolling farmlands of Pleasant Mount, PA. The cloister comprises of 70,000 square feet of building space consisting of chapel and supporting spaces, convent, and barns, in addition to gardens, cemetery, and other hardscape. Separate houses for guests, priests, and the porter are also planned. The selection of materials—from stone and lime-washed brick facades to slate and metal roofs—is intended to provide both nobility and durability for centuries to come.
The Chapel
The chapel is designed with reference to renaissance and early baroque precedents. Its exterior is dressed in limestone both for its beauty and to indicate its importance, where the most noble materials signify hierarchy. The classically composed façade faces southward and serves as principal entrance both to the chapel and to the cloister beyond. Through the large entry portal, the narthex is used to reorient the chapel eastward as liturgically preferred, architecturally suggested on the exterior by the prominent octagonal dome crowned by a copper lantern centering above the sanctuary below.
Sanctuary
The chapel interior similarly draws on renaissance and baroque sources for its inspiration. The nave is given restrained detailing with square piers framing arched openings, stained glass windows, stone floors, and a coffered oak ceiling reminiscent of early Christian basilicas. The sanctuary is treated with more architecturally rich wall surfaces but is dominated by a freestanding baroque reredos, while the dome itself is designed to act as a visual baldachin hovering above the altar below.
The Project Team
Louis Pfaff - Project Director
Louis Pfaff has an extensive career in real estate and Urban planning. He has completed complicated entitlement work and worked on various construction projects.
Please contact Mr. Pfaff for media and other inquiries about the project:
(914) 708-0519
Erik Bootsma Architect PLLC - Architects
Erik Bootsma Architect PLLC is a full service architecture firm located in Richmond Virginia.
Specializing in sacred architecture and classical design, the firm has projects ongoing in six state and has completed numerous projects ranging from renovations to new churches.
Erik Bootsma is a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College and the University of Notre Dame.
www.bootsmadesign.com
Tony Caputo - MEP Design - Civil, MEP and Site Engineering
Anthony C. Caputo, Jr., EE
Anthony has over Forty years of experience with successful implementation and delivery of multiple high value projects. He has well-developed skills in engineering design and strategizing innovative solutions to design construction challenges while maintaining tight control of project budgets and milestones.
Anthony’s design engineer experience includes design of projects for all phases of engineering disciplines which includes expertise in design of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire and sprinkler systems to create and deliver efficient and code-compliant plans. He has also designed septic, soil and erosion systems and supervised controls for each of those projects.
www.mepdesignsinc.com
Joel Pidel Design - Architectural and Liturgical Design
Joel is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame where he studied architecture and philosophy. He has 18 years of professional experience in the practice of architecture, focusing on traditional design in both residential and sacred spaces. He has been a principal designer and project manager for the past 15 years, responsible for all phases of design and construction, from initial client meetings and schematic design through construction documents and administration. His work has been the recipient of prestigious awards and featured in several design publications. He is a long-standing Fellow at the Institute for Classical Architecture and Art, where he has taught and served on various committees.
Dennis Kutch - KBA Engineers - Structural Engineering
Dennis Kutch, P.E., C.F.E.I.
www.kbapc.net
