The Holy Resurrection Chapel, located in The Gardens at Gethsemane in West Roxbury, MA, offers a place where Orthodox families can observe and practice the customs and traditions of the Orthodox community.
The Garden Cemetery is on the original grounds of Brook Farm where Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathanial Hawthorne summered and was established in 1871 to serve all faiths and beliefs. Today, the cemetery offers Gardens designed for various communities including Asian, Islamic and Orthodox plus military and non-denominational. Many original trees and landscaping still thrive and provide a mature and peaceful setting.
The Holy Resurrection Chapel was designed in the classic Byzantine style by noted architect Yervant Nahikian. With its rich history as a natural architectural metal, RHEINZINK was selected for several roof applications on the Chapel. The multi-faceted dome of the Chapel was clad with 24 separate RHEINZINK custom panels. Four half-round barrel vaults offer a prominent design element. And RHEINZINK was also used on four sloping triangular elements on each of the corners to provide design transition with the natural stone exterior below. All RHEINZINK was 0.7mm prePATINA blue-grey. The dome used single lock standing seam panels while double lock panels were used to clad the barrel vaults. RHEINZINK’s AIR-Z structured underlayment was also utilized to provide an air-gap beneath the zinc.
Installation of the RHEINZINK was completed by Gorman Construction, Raynham, MA. Gorman also fabricated the custom panels for the dome as well as the triangular panel elements. The barrel vaults were fabricated by Coastal Metal Service, a member of Beacon Roofing Supply. Coastal Metal also served as the RHEINZINK distributor on the project.
According to Bob Gorman, president of Gorman Construction, several other contractors had passed on the job due to the complexity of the dome. “The biggest challenge was fabricating the double curve “hourglass” panels in one continuous piece,” according to Gorman. “We can do it,” Gorman told the customer.
There were also directional considerations for placement of the Chapel on the site.& Facing east to pray is an ancient tradition based on numerous biblical references. In a traditional Orthodox church, the alter is positioned to the East. “In addition to the complexity of the roof, the design required that the intersection of two panels would break precisely above each window which were aligned with the four points of the compass. The cross on top of the chapel aligns with the panels to run north and south so that the face of the cross greets the rising sun from the east,” Gorman said. “We built a prototype of one-half of the dome in our shop to make sure the 24 dome panels would position properly.”
Gorman Construction also fabricated the custom flashings and detailing necessary to create a continuous curve over the drip-edge. “It was an interesting project with different treatments—that’s what attracted us to it,” Gorman said.
RHEINZINK America, Inc. led the introduction of architectural zinc in North America and continues to offer one of the industry’s most reliable, trusted brands. Architects and contractors are supported by unparalleled customer service and technical assistance. RHEINZINK is readily available through an established network of qualified distributors and systems partners across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Ideal for roofing, façade, gutter and interior applications, RHEINZINK is environmentally friendly, 100% recyclable and offers a potential lifespan of 100 years or more.