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.