MIT Chapel
Eero Saarinen · Cambridge, United States · 1956
Saarinen’s MIT Chapel is a compact cylindrical brick sanctuary surrounded by a shallow moat. The largely windowless exterior creates a strong separation from the campus, while inside irregular brick surfaces catch light reflected from the water below. A circular skylight illuminates Harry Bertoia’s suspended metal screen behind the altar, giving the small room a remarkable vertical focus. Built in 1955–56, the chapel demonstrates how material, indirect light and acoustic enclosure can create an intensely contemplative interior with minimal formal means.