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Virginia Tech

An Architecture of Light: A Catholic Church for Blacksburg, Virginia

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

This thesis is an investigation on how in architecture structure and material modulate the perception of light. This idea was implemented in the design of a catholic church for the parish of Blacksburg,Virginia. The vision of the church as a community in constant interaction resulted in the design of a complex, in which the chapel is accompanied by a pre-school and a third building containing facilities for the administration of the parish and the residence for the priest. The plaza on which all the buildings have been arranged allows the opportunity for outdoor activities, as well as the contemplation of the beautiful ever-changing views of the mountains that surround the church. The difference in the nature of the activities that take place in each one of the buildings has been expressed through the way structure and materials interact with the natural light producing a distinctive interior quality.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Architecture
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Architecture
Department dc:contributor.department
Architecture
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2008

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Mendoza, Hector
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Rott, Hans Christian
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Cortes, Mario C.
  • Jones, James R.

Subjects

dc:subject × 4

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-03192008-125518
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/31501

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Mendoza, Hector. An Architecture of Light: A Catholic Church for Blacksburg, Virginia. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/31501