Thrivent Financial for Lutherans – Minneapolis, MN
Thrivent Chapel
A new Chapel for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' downtown Minneapolis corporate headquarters. Mark Anderson brought this project in and served as Lead Designer and Project Architect while at Leo A Daly. (More Info)
Thrivent Chapel
A new Chapel for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' downtown Minneapolis corporate headquarters. Mark Anderson brought this project in and served as Lead Designer and Project Architect while at Leo A Daly. (More Info)
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Minneapolis, MN
Thrivent Chapel
Client Needs:
- Thrivent wanted a Chapel to greet employees and visitors as they entered their headquarters building in downtown Minneapolis, MN.
- The Chapel was needed to provide a symbolic representation of Thrivent’s religious and spiritually based business activities.
- The headquarters building had an under-utilized library off the ground floor main entry lobby.
The Solution:
- An elliptical Chapel was designed around two focal points for reflection, contemplation and prayer: a statue of St. Francis by Minnesota sculptor Paul Granlund and a newly commissioned bronze cross.
- A custom red-glass “vigil light,” visible in the lobby, Chapel entry and inside the Chapel, calls out a place of peace, contemplation, and prayer.
- The Chapel form and materials are designed to stand apart from the rigid details and monolithic Travertine walls and floors of this 1970’s “Modernist” office building.
- The soft, rounded forms of the Chapel, coupled with natural slate, wood and sisal provide a welcoming retreat for reflection in the hectic world of business.
- Soft, translucent, wave-patterned art-glass shields the room’s occupants from the public, while informing the passerby that this is a unique and noteworthy space.
- Mark Anderson designed and then directed artisans in the custom production of the art glass windows, vigil light, bronze cross, door hardware, hickory plank doors, window mullions and cross base.
The Result:
- The Chapel provides a quiet, peaceful and centering space just steps off downtown metropolitan streets and a busy office-building lobby. Thrivent employees and visitors from the city use the Chapel for individual and small group prayer and meditation.
- Thrivent holds convocation at the beginning of board meetings, and Advent and Lenten worship services in the Chapel, which are broadcast throughout the headquarters.
- Thrivent is very happy with the design and construction process, as well as with the fact that the project came in on time and in budget.
- The Chapel was published in Houses of God: Religious Architecture for a New Millennium By Michael J. Crosbie.
- The Chapel received a Craftsman Award from the Construction Specifications Institute.