Modular Wooden Tree of Life Chapel Features Slatted Walls for Inspiring Light and Storage

This beautiful wood chapel within a chapel has been built by <a href="http://www.cerejeirafontesarquitectos.com/home.php" target="_blank">Cerejeira Fontes</a> in Braga, Portugal. The timber Tree of Life chapel is a modular space for worship and reflection created for friars to utilize within the Conciliar Seminary of St. James in Braga. The open slats allow natural light to filter into the cozy space, while also providing <a href="http://inhabitat.com/shelf-pod-an-entire-japanese-home-lined-with-a-maze-of-bookshelves/" target="_blank">unique storage shelving</a> for the friars’ Bibles.

Set within the Seminary school corridors in a dimly lit room, the chapel takes up a rectangular space. <a href="http://inhabitat.com/beautiful-garden-shed-made-from-planks-and-bottles-is-reminiscent-of-a-chapel/" target="_blank">Resembling stacked palettes with its open slats</a>, light from the corridor windows seep in, while ambient lighting from the interior make the modular chapel glow like a hive.

The spaces in the timber boards also remind the visitors of the construction of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/wim-delvoyes-creepy-stained-glass-windows-are-made-from-recycled-x-rays/" target="_blank">the chapel</a>, allowing the visitor to imagine each plank being stacked to completion.

The <a href="http://inhabitat.com/rio-roca-ranch-chapel-is-an-ethereal-wooden-church-filled-with-air-and-light/" target="_blank">Jenga-like chapel </a>sits atop a wooden deck platform, which has storage built into its base for books and Bibles. A stone block functions as a step, and leads visitors into the chapel through a corner entrance opening.

Inside, the slatted walls curve in, creating a cozy and private place for prayer. A small altar stands at one end for priests leading prayers, while the walls are lined with benches that also continue the slatted shelving pattern.

Above, the ceiling opens into an oblong skylight, allowing visitors on the mezzanine above the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/shigura-ban-unveils-towering-cardboard-cathedral-for-christchurch/" target="_blank">modular chapel </a>some visibility into the mass and prayers when the chapel is full.

The slats also allow for storage without obstructing the cozy design of the interior with additional furniture. Bibles, papers, and even candles can be safely <a href="http://inhabitat.com/berlin-showroom-features-sherlock-holmes-style-bookcase-that-opens-to-a-secret-room/" target="_blank">stored within the walls</a> and retrieved when needed. The <a href="http://inhabitat.com/6-creepy-churches-made-of-bones/" target="_blank">unique chapel </a>allows natural light to flow within it, while creating a private and peaceful place for worship.